TaH-!r"«ir ' "aslWtH
"'fliS/llSm2^,fJ^J.?l±9.?.if!:!!iy'Ol^io, and rep
DATE DUE
L_^ ! I >v
F
ii<(J-i^lvt /'(7^^%-H--»-^--^
' -I
M
^^
Cornell University
Library
The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.
There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.
http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924012523464
HISTORY
OF
Crawford County, Ohio
AND
Representative Citizens
BY
JOHN E. HOPLEY
"Study History for it is Philosophy Teaching by Example"
PUBLISHED BT
RICHMOND-ARNOLD PUBLISHING COMPANY
P. J. Richmond, Pres.; C. E. Arnold, Sec'y and Treas.
CHICAGO, ILL.
EDITOR'S PREFACE
The torch shall be extinguish'd which hath lit
My midnight lamp, and what is writ, is writ —
Would it were worthier!
— Byron.
The writing of this history has been the
work of over a year of constant research and
work, and the idea of the editor has been to
show by contrast the difference between the
past and the present. The latter all know, and
its blessings all enjoy. But the former, with
its trials, its hardships, and its struggles bravely
met, manfully born, and successfully over-
come should make the thoughtful reader more
content with the conditions of today.
In finishing the work, it is but an act of
justice on the part of the writer to express his
thanks to Hon. Carl C. Anderson, the member
of Congress from this district for the valuable
information he secured from the old records at
Washington; to Judge Daniel Babst of Crest-
line and Hon. R. W. Johnson of Galion, for
much valuable information; to James D. Fer-
ree for his valuable collection of historical
data; to the county officials of Crawford for
their imiform courtesy and assistance in the
search of all records; to the officials of Dela-
ware, Huron, Marion and Richland for similar
favors. In the preparation of the work, first
credit is due to the History of Crawford
County published in 1880, by Baskin and
Beatty, and written by many people, but the
histories of Bucyrus by Thomas P. Hopley
and of Galion by Dr. J. C. Mcllvaine were most
valuable. The old files of the Crawford
County Forum,with its pioneer letters of James
Nail, James Dunlap and others and of the Bu-
cyrus Journal with the letters of John Moder-
well, Robert Cowden and others furnished the
substantial early history of the county, the
Moderwell letters being the most complete of
the early records in existence.
The following are the more important
works from which the various facts were
gleaned :
Histories of the United States by Lossing
and Ellis.
LaSalle's Discoveries, by Parkman.
Bouquet's Expedition, by Parkman.
Red-Men's Roads, by Hurlbert.
Col. Smith's Captivity, 1755-59.
Crawford's Campaign, by Butterfield.
Narratives of Knight and Slover of the
Crawford Expedition, published in 1782.
Ohio in 1778, by James.
Histories of Ohio by Atwater, Taylor, King,
all published seventy to eighty years ago, and
the modern ones of Abbott, and Van Tassell's
Book of Ohio.
Howe's History of Ohio.
The Marion, Richland and Wyandot His-
tories of thirty years ago, all of which are ex-
cellent works, similar to the Crawford County
History of the same date; the modem history
of Marion county by Jacoby and of Richland
county by Baughman.
The history of Wayne county by Douglass,
Knapp's History of the Maumee Valley, and
Brice's History of Ft. Wayne, written thirty
years ago.
Files of the Columbus Gazette from 1820
to 1825, copies of the publications of the Ohio
Archaeological Society and of the Ohio Mag-
azine.
Reid's Ohio in the War, Siebert's Under-
ground Roads, the Lives of James Kilbourne
of Worthington and Judge J. T. Anderson of
Marion.
W. A. Taylor's Annals of Progress; the
early Gazetteers of Ohio.
While mistakes may have been made in this
History of Crawford County, let each one be
overbalanced more than a hundred times by *
the facts which are correct.
John E. Hopley.
Bucyrus, Ohio, Oct. i, 1912.
PUBLISHERS' PREFACE
The aim of the publishers of this volume
and of the author of the history has been to
secure for the historical portion thereof full
and accurate data respecting the history of the
county from the time of its early settlement-
and to condense it into a clear and interesting
narrative. All topics and occurrences have
been included that were essential to this sub-
ject.
The reviews of resolute and strenuous lives
that make up the biographical part of the
volume are admirably calculated to foster local
ties, to inculcate patriotism and to emphasize
the rewards of industry dominated by intelli-
gent purpose. They constitute a most appro-
priate medium for perpetuating personal an-
nals and will be of incalculable value to the
descendants of those commemorated. These
sketches are replete with stirring incidents and
intense experiences and are flavored with a
strong human interest that will naturally prove
to a large portion of the readers of the book
one of its most attractive features. In the
aggregate of personal memoirs thus collated
will be found a vivid epitome of the growth of
Crawford County, which will fitly supplement
the historical statement, for its development
is identical with that of the men and women
to whom it is attributable. Sketches unrevised
by subscribers are marked by a small asterisk
(*) placed after the name of the subscriber.
The publishers have avoided slighting any
part of the work, and to the best of their abil-
ity have supplemented the editor's labors by
exercising care over the minutest details of
publication, in order to give the volume the
three- fold value of a readable narrative, a use-
ful work of reference and a tasteful ornament
to the library.
Special prominence has been given to the
portraits of many representative citizens,
which appear throughout the volume, and we
believe that they will prove not its least inter-
esting feature. We have sought in this de-
partment to illustrate the different spheres of
industrial and professional achievement as
conspicuously as possible.
To all who have kindly interested them-
selves in the preparation of this work, and
who have voluntarily contributed most use-
ful information and data, or rendered any
other assistance, we hereby tender our grate-
ful acknowledgements.
The Publishers.
Chicago, 111., October, 1912.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
Geological History 21
Formation of the Earth, Including Crawford County — The Oldest Known
Inhabitant — Age of the Earth — Thickness of the Earth's Crust — Age of
Crawford County from a Geological Standpoint — The Order of Creation
— Geological Strata and Sub-Strata — The Glacial Period — Ancient Animal
Life — Plant Life — Pre-glacial Man — Mastodonic Remains Found at Bucy-
rus — Our Early "Settler^' — The Mound Builders.
CHAPTER II
Discovery of America 29
Landing of Columbus — Naming of America — Naddod, the Norwegian — Ice-
land Visited by the Irish — Early Norse Settlements There — Expedition of
Lief Erickson — Norse Settlements on Baffin's Bay, 1135 — Iceland in the
i2th Century — Visited by Columbus — The Zeni Brothers — Voyage of
Americus Vespucius — Spanish Settlements — The New World Presented to
Spain — Expedition of Sebastian Cabot — Ponce de Leon Lands in Florida
— Followed by DeSoto — Expedition of Cartier — D'Ayllon and Cortoreal
Kidnap Indians — Expedition of Verrazini — Possessions of Spain, England
and France in Americor— Massacre of Protestant Settlers by Menendes —
Avenged by DeGourges — Sir Richard Grenville Lands on Island of Roa-
noke— His Men Killed by Indians — John White Reestablishes Colony —
The First English Child Born in What is now the United States — The
Jamestown Settlement — Capt. John Smith — The Dutch Settle New York —
Landing of the Pilgrims — Penn Settles Pennsylvania — Other Settlements
— The United States Obtains Possession of Florida and Spanish Settle-
ments Beyond the Mississippi — Also Territory West of the Rocky Moun-
tains— The Northern Boundary Settled — Colonial Charters.
CHAPTER III
Indian Occupancy 37
Character of the Indians — Failure of Attempts to Enslave Them — Their Lack
of Written Language — Their History Preserved by the Missionaries —
Their Traditions — Legends Concerning a Previous Race — Division of the
Country Among the Tribes — The "Five Nations" — Conflict with the French
4 CONTENTS
and the Hurons — Sell Land to William Penn — The Franciscan Friars —
The Jesuits — Treaties of the Iroquois with the Whites — Their Wars with
Other Tribes — The Wyandottes and Ottawas — The French and Indian
Posts at Mackinac and Detroit — The Foxes Attack Detroit — Are Almost
Exterminated — The "Six Nations" — The Wyandots and Delawares in Ohio
The Shawanese — Indian Raids Into Pennsylvania and Virginia — French
Forts in Northwest Territory- — The French and Indian War — Washing-
ton Attacks the French — Braddock's Defeat — Triumph of the English —
Pontiac's Attempt — Ensign Paully's Capture and Escape — Murder of Pon-
tiac — Gen. Bradstreet's Expedition — Battle of Point Pleasant — Cornstalk
— Simon Girty — The Revolution and Its Results — The English-Pay Indians
for White Scalps — Attack on Ft. Henry — Bfavery of Elizabeth Zane — Col.
Crawford's Defeat and Death — Treaty of Ft. Mcintosh — Murder of Shor-
tay-ya-ron-yah — Other Treaties — Battle of Fallen Timbers — Boundaries
— War of 1812 — Surrender of Gen. Hull — Harrison's Expedition — Attack
on Ft. Meigs — Defense of Ft. Stevenson — Perry's Victory — Battle of the
Thames and Death of Tecumseh — End of the War. ■
CHAPTER IV
Settlement of the County 64
Organization of Previous Ownership — Indian Reservations — Formation of
Wayne County — Delaware and Knox Counties Formed — Richland County
Formed — Boundaries of Crawford County in 1820 — The Wyandot Reser-
vation Purchased — Indian Villages — Army Routes — Early Roads — The
Sandusky Plains — Passage of. Crooks^ Army — Ludlow's Survey — Bad
Lands — Abandoned Cabins — The "Old Purchase" — The Westward Move-
ment— Inhabitants of County Prior to 1815 — The First Land Owner — The
First Permanent Settler — A Fatal Accident — Early Distilleries — Indian
Treaty of 181'j — Supplementary Treaty — The New Land Surveyed and
Settled — Where the Pioneers Came From — Log Cabins and How They
Were Built — A ccidents — Furniture — Provisions — Baking — Water Supply
— Log Rolling — Clothing — Crops and Harvesting — Grist Mills — Bee
Hunting — Cranberries — Scarcity of Money — Prices of Various Products —
Blazed Trails — Pioneer Hospitality — Mails — The Traveling Minister —
Early Doctors — Pioneer Pastimes — Funerals — Improvements — The
County Erected and Named — Population in 1820 — List of Settlers.
CHAPTER V
Organization of the County 88
First Elections — Boundaries — First Taxes — Early Roads — Location of County
Seat — Col. Kilbourne's Proposition — Settlement of Bucyrus — The County
Organized — The Fight on Commissioners — Their First Proceedings —
Readjustment of Township Lines — Indian Purchase, 1835 — The Leiths —
Justice Garrett— Formatidn of the County in 1845 as it Now Exists — ■
Township Changes — New Roads — The Courts — Contest for County Seat
— Donations of Leading Citizens — Erection of Court House — Visit of
CONTENTS 5
General Harrison — The County Jail — Population of County in 1830 and
1850 — Construction of Railroads — New Court House — Improvements —
Court House of 1856 — New Jail — Care of the Poor — The County In-
firmary— Difficulties of Travel in Early Days — The Mails — Turnpikes and
Stage Routes — Early Stores — Population by Townships — Residents in
1826.
CHAPTER VI
Political 118
Early Politics — Campaign of 1840 — Harrison at Bucyrus — Campaign Song —
Exciting Campaign of 186^ — Minor Parties — Constitutional Conventions
— Vote of the County Since Its Organization — The County in State Politics
— Incidents of Early Campaigns — Crawford During the War — List of
Officials Since the Organization of the County.
CHAPTER VII
Transportation Facilities 143
Indian Trails and War Routes— Swamps — Portages — Indian Village of Sac-
caium — Route Followed by Gen. Bradstreet — Capt. James Smith's Travels
— First Road in Crawford County — Geographical Notes by Seth Holmes
and James Nail — Military Roads — Blazed Trails — Corduroy Roads — The
Sandusky Pike — Work of Zalmon Rowse and Other Commissioners —
5". c& C. Turnpike Co. — Rate of Toll — Transportation of Mail — Activity
of Col. Kilbourne — The Sandusky Pike — Difficulties of Spring Travel —
Litigation — Stage Lines — Cost of the Old Portland Road — First Attempt
at Improved Roads — Railroads of the County — Railroad Excursion to
Bucyrus in 1853 — The "John Bull" Locomotive — Electric Roads — Amount
of Trackage in Crawford with Values by Townships.
CHAPTER VIII
Auburn Township 179
Location and Topography of the Township — Drainage — Creation of Auburn
Township and First Election — Early Settlers — Justices — Forest Adven-
tures— Early MUls — Churches and Schoolhouses — Waynesburg — North
Auburn — Mechanicsburg — Tiro — DeKalb Postoffice — A Prohibition Or-
dinance— Mr. Baker's Enterprise — Cranberries — An Indian Burying
Ground — The Hanna Graveyard — Other Cemeteries.
CHAPTER IX
BucYpus Township 194
Creation, Location and Topography — Drainage — First Settlers — Indian Sugar
Camp — Early Mills — The Nortons — Zalmon Rowse — Colored Pioneers
— Organization and Election in 1824 — Josiah Scott — A Township Treas-
urer's Responsibilities — Some Early Officials — Churches and Schools — «4
Traveling Schoolhouse — Miss Monnett's Donation — Early Taverns —
Farming Operations — Indian Trails — Roads — An Ancient Sword —
Cetneteries.
6 CONTENTS
CHAPTER X
Chatfield Township 212
Erection of the Township — Topography and Drainage — The Cranberry In-
dustry— Pioneers and Early Settlers — German Immigration — Early In-
dustries^:—Rearing Silkworms — Taverns — The McKinley Graves — Justices
— North Liberty and Its Founder — RichvUle — Chatfield P. O. Established
— Postmasters — Grove Hill P- 0. — Schools and Churches — Cemeteries.
CHAPTER XI
Cranberry Township 224
Location and Erection of the Township — Topography and Drainage — Cran-
berry Marsh — First Settlers — Early Industries — New Washington — Kib-
ler's Tannery — Postmasters — Construction of Railroad — Justices — Educa-
tion— Churches.
CHAPTER XII
Dallas Township 232
Peculiar Shape of the Township — Dimensions — Fertility of the Soil — Erection
of the Township — Drainage — Stock Raising — First Settlers — Taverns and
Mills — Arrival of Johnston Family — Enterprise of Mr. Kerr — His Dofta-
tions — The Monnetts — Roads and Stage Lines — MUk Sickness and Cholera
Epidemics — Schools and Churches — Early Marriages — Justices — The
Bucyrus and Marion Electric Road.
CHAPTER XIII
Holmes Township 242
Location, Drainage and Topography — Burnt Swamp — Limestone Operations
— Mysterious Mounds — First Settlers — First Elections — Justices — Ger-
man Immigration — An Early Tragedy — Joseph Newell's Town — Wingert's
Corners — Conflict Over a Name — Brokensword Postmasters — Early In-
dustries— Saloons and Taverns — Interesting Anecdotes — The Under-
ground Railroad — Schools and Churches — Sunday Schools — Stone Quar-
ries— Spore Post Office.
CHAPTER XIV
Jackson Township and Crestline 253
Jackson Township — Its Size and Location — Its Origin — Topographical Feat-
ures— Productions— First Settlers — An Early Tragedy — The First Road
— Early Schools and Teachers — Trading Points in Early Days — Taverns
— Livingston Laid Out.
Crestline — Growth of the Town — Railroad Interests-^First Passenger Train
Through Crestline — An Early Desription of the Town — First Merchants
and Prominent Citizens — Destructive Fires — An Exciting Bear Story —
Epidemic of Cholera^Manufacturing Interests — City Departments —
Schools — Churches — Justices — Incorporation of Crestline and List of
Mayors — Water Supply — Telephone Service — Banks — Societies — Past
Office and Postmasters.
CONTENTS 7
CHAPTER XV
Jefferson Township 264
Erection of the Township — Indian Trails — Roads — Wingemund's CatHp — =
Drainage and Topography — The Windfall — First Settlers — An Early Mar-
riage— An Early Tragedy — Mills, Taverns and Tanneries — Justices — Stone
Quarries — The Lees and Leesville — Graveyards — Schools and Churches.
CHAPTER XVI
Liberty Township , ■ • 273
Central Location of the Township — Drainage and Topography — First Settlers
— Mills — The Blowers Family — Other Early Settlers — Inter eating Anec-
dotes— Fertility of the Soil — Timber — Medicinal Springs — Justices —
Organizations of Township and First Elections — Early Treatment of the
Poor — Binding Out Children — Deckertown Laid Out — Fuckertown or
Brandywine Station — A Manuscript Newspaper — Teel Toivn — Annapolis
or Surphur Springs — Schools and Churches — Industries — S. S. Post-
masters.
CHAPTER XVn
Lykens Township 290
Boundaries of the Township — Erection — Justices — First Settlers — Drainage
and Soil — German Immigration — Lost in the Woods — Runaway Slaves
— Early Mills — Stores — Lykens Post Office and Postmasters — Schools and
Churches — Lodges — Quarries.
CHAPTER XVni
Polk Township 299
Origin of the Township — Home of Wingemund — Military Road — Indian Pop-
ulation— Johnny Cake and His Wife — Indian Burying Ground — An Ab-
ducted Child — Drainage and Soil — Organization of the Township — First
Election — Early Settlers — The Cranberry Industry — A Strange Recogni-
tion— Early Names of Galion — Rev. James Dunlap's Narrative— ^Early
Mills, Taverns and Distilleries — Churches and Schools — Cemeteries —
Justices of the Peace.
CHAPTER XIX
Sandusky Township 310
Township from Which All Others Were Erected — The Pioneers — The Knisely
Springs — First Camp Meeting and First Sunday School — "Governor" Fer-
guson Deals Out Justice to the Indians — A Woman Missionary.
CHAPTER XX
Texas Township . , 319
Early Settlers With Their Mills on the Sycamore — Benton Incorporated as a
Village to Comply with the Law— Its Early Mayors — "Old Pipes^' Store
Gives its Name to Fipetown — "Bishop" Tuttle, an Influential Citizen and
His Hobbies — Postmasters and Justices of the Peace.
8 CONTENTS
CHAPTER XXI
Tod Township 328
The Last Land in the County Occupied by the Indians — The Township Named
Three Times and Name Wrong Each Time — Oceola Laid Out with
County Seat Expectations-^— Early Settlers, Churches and Schools — Rem-
iniscences— A Horse Monument.
CHAPTER XXII
Vernon Township 338
The Township Created — At First a Wilderness — Its Swampy Character in
Early Days — Wild Game — Boundaries — Geohgic Formation — Drainage
— Indian Occupation — First Settlers — First Deaths — Early Mills — West
Liberty — A Temperance Crusade in 1838 — Postmasters — DeKalb — The
DeKalb Seminary — A Row Over Postmaster — Decline of DeKalb — The
Underground Railroad — Oil Speculation — Schools and Churches — Justices
of the Peace.
CHAPTER XXIII
Whetstone Township 349
Topography of the Township — Survey of the Township — Its Erection — First
Election — The Soil — Early Prevalence of Malaria — First Settlers — Com-
ing of Zalmon Rowse — Enterprise of James Armstrong — First Mills —
Robbery of the Albrights — Crawford's March Through the Township —
An Indian Village — The "Green Sea" — Early Roads — A Peculiar Mar-
riage— The First Post Office — Founding of New Winchester, Olentangy
and North Robinson — The Underground Railroad — Postmasters — Early
Mills — Justices of the Peace — Schools and Churches — Graveyards.
CHAPTER XXIV
BUCYRUS, THE COUNTY SeAT 362
Origin of the Name Bucyrus — Arrival of Samuel Norton and Party — First
White Child Born in Bucyrus — Expert Spinners — Abundance of Game —
Shortage of Bread — Slow Milling — Arrival of Other Settlers — Col. Kil-
bourne — Norton's Agreement with Kilbourne — Survey and Platting of
Bucyrus — Naming of Streets — Sale of Lots — Bucyrus in 1826 — Early
Stores and Merchants — Prices in the Early Twenties — Fever and Ague —
Mrs. Lucy Rogers' Experience — Tanneries and Grist Mills — The Carys —
Early Industries — The First Tavern — Price of Whiskey — Mrs. Rogers
Thrashes an Indian — Selling Liquor to the Indians — Law Aagainst It —
Adventure of a Bibulous Citizen — Bucyrus Song.
City of Galion 414
First House in Galion — Arrival of Asa Hosford — His Enterprise — The Part
Played by Col. Kilbourne in Locating Site of Galion — Various Names of
the Early Settlement — Agreement Between Samuel Brown and John Ruhl
CONTENTS
— The Two Galions — First Business Industry — Post Office Established —
Postmasters — Coming of the Railroad and Subsequent Prosperity — Visit
of Kossuth — The Part Played by German Settlers in Galion's Upbuilding
— John Kraft — Population — Incorporation as a City — Public Buildings —
Opera House — First Theatrical Entertainment — Religious Development —
Schools — Societies — Graveyards and Cemeteries — Fire Department —
Lighting System — Streets and Sewers — Banks — Buildings and Loan Asso-
ciations— Hotels — Public Library — Police Department — Telephone Serv-
ice— Honor to Galion's Founders.
CHAPTER XXVI
I
Manufactures 437
Introductory — Manufacturing Enterprises of Bucyrus, Galion, Crestline and
New Washington — The Crawford County Nursery.
CHAPTER XXVII
The Press 453
The Modern Newspaper — Scarcity of Newspapers in Early Part of ipth
Century — The Newspaper of Today the Reflection of Contemporary Life f^
and History — The Rural Press — Character of Crawford County's News-
papers— Early Specimens — Lack of Local News in Early Newspapers —
The Scissors Succeeded by the Stereotype Plate — The First Printing Press
in Crawford County — The County's First Newspaper— ^-Newspapers of
Crawford County Past and Present and Their Editors — Interesting Anec-
dotes.
CHAPTER XXVIII
Military History of the County 469
The Revolutionary War — Two Battlefields in Crawford County — Revolution-
ary Soldiers Who Live in Crawford County — Ancestral Data — The War
of 1812-15 — The Mexican War — The Great Civil War — Regiment His-
tories— Decoration Day — The G. A. R. — Relief Corps — The Oldest Sol-
dier-'—Crawford County Heroes — Southern Prisons — Tribute to Sergeant
D. W. Young — The War With Spain — Record of Company A, 8th Regi-
ment, 0. V.I.
CHAPTER XXIX
Bench and Bar 5x5
The Ordinance of 1787 — Formation of the Courts — President and Associate
Judges — Justices of the Peace — Lawyers of Crawford County — Interest-
ing Cases.
10 CONTENTS
CHAPTER XXX
Medical 531
The Pioneer Doctor— Empirical Treatment in Early Days — The "Regular"
Treatment Often Ineffectual — Various "isms" — Credulity of the Laity —
Hardships Endured by the Pioneer Doctors — Fever and Ague — Physi-
cians of Bucyrus, Galion, Crestline and Other Towns in Crawford County
Past and Present.
CHAPTER XXXI
The Underground Railroad 539
Provisions of the Ordinance of ifSj in Regard to Slavery — Popular Feeling
in the North — The Fugitive Slave Act — The Underground Railroad —
Escape of Slaves Through Crawford County — Penalties — Interesting
Anecdotes — Underground Stations — How the Aspect of the Civil War
Might Have Been Changed.
CHAPTER XXXII
Miscellaneous 547
Dead Man's Hollow — Ancient Land Marks — Hidden Treasures — The Bucy-
rus Mastodon — Johnny Appleseed — The Bad Indian— Population Statis-
tics—The Hermits — Agricultural Fairs — The Canal Crawford County
Did Not Get — The Cholera — Early Valuation and Expenses — Early Mar-
riage Licenses — The Name of Bucyrus.
Biographical Sketches 571
SCNCC4 CO,
*^"'- ^^' fr- ■'''' "^^
HURON CO.
R2IIV R2nW.
MORROW CO
MARION CO
MAP OF CRAWFORD COUNTY, 0., 1912
INDEX
Abger, David F., M. D 1018
Ackerman, G. F 869
Adams, Eli 394, 330
Adams, Franklin 673
Ahlefeld, C. H 578
Albrecht, Christopher * 1008
Albright, Daniel 1309
Albright, George W 1309
Albright, Isaac - 776
Albright, John 353
Albright, Joseph 1309
Alt, J. B 949
AltaflFer, George F 1115
Anderson, David 341
Anderson, Francis M 1094
Angell, James L 1135
Angene, Horace 1065
Armstrong, James 353
Arnold, A. A 1082
Arnold, Charles 733
Arnold, W. E., D. D. S 753
Assenheimer, E. C 1049
Assenheimer, Frederic C 793
Assenheimer, Lewis H 790
Auck, John C 740
Auck, MicTiael 1138
Auck, Samuel E 1106
Auck, William H 1138
Aumend, Adam 70
Aumiller, Daniel 690
Aumiller, Emanuel 745
Aumiller, Miss Julia 690
Aurand, George 937
Aurand, Robert M 731
Aurand, Kufus 802
Babst, Carl M "99
Babst, Hon. Daniel 571
Babst, Jacob 1^03
Baer, Amos 1020
Baer, Peter 833
Bagley, Erwin S • 1300
Bair, Adam 377
Bair, Michael D 748
Bair, Samuel M 805
Baker, Curtis J 1043
Baker, Ephraim H 1165
Baker, Samuel 853
Barney, John G 1166
Barth, Henry A. 670
Bash Family, The 350
Bash, Peter L 809
Batchelder, David 1079
Battef eld, Hon. Lewis H 706
Bauer, George J 1070
Bauer, Peter 1015
Bauer, William D 1195
Beach, Frederick 875
Beach, George 784
Beach, Levi 773
Beadle, David 198
Beadle, Mishael ". 198
Beal, Edwin G 1048
Beal, Rev. Isaac '. 620
Beal, Simeon G '. 793
Beal, Wesley 914
Beall, Arthur J 589
Bear, Jacob J 339
Beard, George 856
Beaston, Albert L 838
Bechstein, Mrs. Minnie C 1073
Bechstein, William C 1073
Bechtol, Charles W 1340
Beck, George H 1331
Beck, Otterbein P 690
Beck, William M 1110
Beer, Hon. Thomas . . . . ■ 651
Beer, William C 585
Beilharz, Charles A , , . 666
Beltz, John C 1158
Beltz, William M , .1119
Bender, William , 663i
Berry, Frederick K , 1133
Bessinger, William H , . 1122
11
12
INDEX
Biebigbauser, Henry 1031
Bigelo-w, Major J. Charles 1248
Bilsing, William A 866
Birk, Christian F 576
Birk, George M., Ph. D 636
Birk, John W., M. D 676
Bishop, Jacob K 1060
Bittikoffer, J. A 819
Blair, Herbert S 622
Bland, Jerome, M. D 930
Bleily, Ferdinand 1103
Bleily, WUliam A 1103
Blicke, William A 603
Bliss, Julius J 590
Block, W. F. L 1117
Blowers, John 0 375, 285
Blowers, William 276
Blum, F. X. 976
Blum, Joseph A 872
Bodley, Harry L 1106
Boehm, Peter 989
Boehm, Peter 957
Boeman, John J 381
Bollerer, Jacob 1079
Bonebrake, Charles F 928
Boner, James 225
Bormuth, Henry E 1149
Bowers, Frederick G '. .1102
Boyd, D. C. 1021
Boyer, John 352
Bracher, Julius 968
Braddock, Gen 42
Bradstreet, Gen 43
Braschler, Eev. Charles 597
Brause, George A 1213
Brause, Gottfried 292
Brause, Willis H. 1182
Brehman, E. J 1010
Brickley, D. W., M. D 642
Briggs, Albert L 588
Brinkman, Edward F 1214
Brinkman, Jesse E 1214
Brinkman, William F. 1214
Brinkman, Family, The 1214
Bronkar, Jerome M. 1142
Brough, John 126
Brown, Jesse G 1104
Brown, John H. 1102
Brown, Rt. Rev. William M., D. D 1148
Bryan, Edelbert A 1187
Bryant, Charles P 635
Buck, WUliam W 1054
Bucklin, Albigence 196
Burghbacher, Johannes 214
Burgbacher, William 1190
Burger, George 1127
Burgert, Thomas B 1013
Burkhart, Sanford W. 765
Burnison, John S 649
Burns, Charles 315
Burnison, Samuel 249
Byers, George 70, 339
Cahill, D. C 712
Cahill, John C. 870
Cairns, Frank. M 1107
Cake, Johnny 300
Caldwell, Hugh 1135
Caldwell, Samuel S 101
Campbell, John 352
Campbell, John B 1224
Campbell, Victor D 1091
Candel, Harvey 1088
Carpenter, George T 1196
Carson, T. B 757
Gary, Lewis 375
Casey, Forest 740
Casey, James E 1184
Cassel, David . H 1058
Chadwick, Ira B 724
Chesney, John A., M. D 1222
Chilcote, Joshua 225
Christee, Urias ggg
Christie, David 831
Clements, James 99
Clutter, Thomas H. B., M. D 1068
Clymer, John R .' . 127
Cobb, Carl E 921
Cole, Daniel 182, 183
Cole, William 69, 183
Colter, Jacob 685
Cook, Francis E 753
Cook, Isaac 781
Cook, John L 795
Cook, Wesley S 677
Cook, William 1115
Coon, Adam and John 321
Cory Family, The 225
Coughlin, Thomas 126
Coulter, Edward E 760
Coulter, James W. 973
Couts, Benjamin F. 762
Couts, Henry 275
Cox, Homer 1081
Coyer, PhUlip W. 959
Coykendall, Jacob 69, 181
Coyle, C. C 993
Crall, Earl W 709
Crall, Oliver K 758
Cramer, Philip 917
Craner, John C. 702
Crawford, Allen A 1083
Crawford, Col. William 47, 50, 55
Griddle, A. R. 1031
INDEX
13
Crider, James 0 827
Crim, Christian S 927
Crissinger, Charles J 645
Crissinger, Emanuel C 905
Crissinger, Elias , . . . 897
Cristee, Urias 868
Crosby, William 126
Crowe, William F 868
Crum, Mrs. Frances 908
Cummins, David 183
Cunningham, William E 1163
Davis, Capt. William R 997
Day, Jacob L 578
DeardorfF, Emanuel 376
Decker, James 1150
Decker, John B 1160
Deerwester, C. P 1107
Deerwester, W. S 790
Deisler, Edwin , 1197
Do Lashmutt, John S 610
Dennig, Christopher W 1236
Dennig, William J. 1239
Denzer, Andrew W. 983
Denzer, Jacob A. 1033
Denzer, Simon J 796
De Eoche, A. A 614
Derr Bros. & Co 1138
Derr, Prank -. 1138
Derr, J. W 1138
Dice, Mrs. Sarah A 659
Diebler, John L 725
Dick, Franklin P 936
Dietrich, George J 1045
Dinsmore Family, The 651
Ditty, Tira E 861
Ditty, William 1067
Dobbins, Hugh M 989
Dobbins, Hugh O 989
Doll, HoUister F 1180
Donnenwirth, Adam 993
Donnenwirth, A. F 1143
Donnenwirth, George 990
Donnenwirth, George F 623
Dostal, George A 683
Dostal, John M 683
Dowd, Ebenezer 377, 379
Drolesbaugh, T. M 648
Drumm, Peter 1172
Dunlap, Eev. James 306
Dumwald, Martin 1240
Dutter, H. 0 669
Dye, Henry C 1235
Eakin, Frank M 712
Eckert, John E 1131
Eckstein, George P 1071
Eckstein, Henry E 1072
Eckstein, John F 771
Eckstein, Peter 1071
Edelstein, Anchel 597
Edler, Charles 1044
Eichelberger, David B 638
English, John 982
Ensminger, Albert M 766
Errett, Jeremiah 1098
EtSinger, Charles F 1188
Exley, John W 898
Faile, John 1033
Failor, Andrew 378
Farmers Exchange Bank, New Washington 1212
Faulkner, John E 845
Fauser, John J 773
Feiring, Otto 752
Fenner, Amandus 880
Fenner, Foster 734
Fenner, George W. 734
Ferguson, James 292
Ferrall, William L 728
Ferree, James D 1215
Field, Cyre r 1336
Fike, C. F 1042
Fischer, John F 714
Fisher, Anthony 1032
Fisher, Col. Cyrus W 592
Fisher, Jacob 71
Fitzsimmons, Dr. James F. 700
Flaharty, Adorham J 613
Flickinger, Alvin G 576
Flickinger, C. H 611
Flickinger, Herschel V 881
Flickinger, Samuel ". 250
Flocken, Michael 614
Foster, Caleb B 875
Foster, Francis M 1088
Foster, George E 1003
Foster, Ira G 1088
Foster, Eobert 376
Foy, Jacob 291
Fralick Family, The 250
Frank, C. P 999
Franz, John 106
Franz, Col. John 7O8
Frazee, Andrew 1019
Freer, James 116I
Freese, Egbert M 1143
French, Alva 684
French, John B 312
French, John W. 981
French, S. L 681
Fry, Elmer J nsg
Fry, Eugene E me
Fuhrman, Philip 608
14
INDEX
Fulton, Cochrane 126
Fulton, Perry C 667
Gaibler, David C 676
Gallinger, Charles 1310
Gamble, James W 750
Gangluff, Mrs. Catherine 933
Gangluff, Henry 933
Ganshorn, Jefferson 1130
Garriguea, W. H 871
Garton, Harris 377
Gebhardt, John 747
Geer, William J 1002
Geiger, Charles E 637
Geiger, Henry 393
Geiger, Jacob 856
Geissman, John B 868
Geissman, William H 1163
Gelsanliter, J. E 644
George, Alfred C 848
Gerstenslager, John P , . . . . 733'
Gibson, Andrew H 1038
Gibson, John E 816
Gibson, Mervin J 630
Gill, Bloomer B 893
Gill, James W 892
Girty, Simon 43, 44, 57
Gordon, John 896
Gorman, Daniel E 781
Gormly, James B 1049
Gottfried, Jacob 1123
Grafmiller, Mrs. Phebe 1007
Graham, David 824
Grau, John 913
Grauer, G. W 918
Green, Frank R 1181
Green, Howard M 904
Green, James H 952
Green, William 69, 180
Greenick, Clarence E 655
Griffeth, Wilbur 1206
Grisell, Thomas J 574
Gugler, Carl J 1101
Gugler, J. Lew 713
Guinther, Jacob F 932
Guinther, Samuel W 770
GuisB, Charles A 664
Gundrum, William 876
Gwinner, William G 773
Hadley, E. W. 1086
Hageman, Henry 1069
Haley, John 793
Hall, Joseph 292
Haman, Frank B 857
Hanna, James M 1025
Harer, J. 0 1173
Harman, Sherman R 685
Harper, James 90
Harris, George W •. 934
Harrison, Gen. William H 60, 98, 131
Harrop, James B 843
Harter, Fred F 638
Harter, John H 881
Hartle, E. G 1101
Harvey, Elmer E 833
Harvey, Ulysses G 836
Hassler, M. F 1133
Hawks, Seth 183
Haworth, Albert 1011
Hazlett, John L 1306
Heck, Ferdinand 650
Heer, Henry M 1093
Heffelfinger, Benjamin 1056
Heibertshausen, William 1337
Heinla, Edward C 754
Heinle, J. L ^ . . , 601
Heinle, Joseph 913
Heinlen, Emanuel 728
Heinlen, E. E 764
Heinlen, James E 975
Heinlen, John J 1020
Heinlen, L. Frank 734
Heinlen, Samuel r 1096
Heinlen, Simon M 946
Hemminger, Mary M 249
Henkel, Carl H 780
Henkel, Charles 919
Henry, John 319
Herbold, John G 1251
Herbold, Philip 971
Herr, Peter F 1192
Hershner, Charles M 1205
Hershner, Henry 271
Hess, Charles 1034
Hess, Henry ? . . . 1034
Hetich, Paul 1 357
Heydinger, Charles 986
Heydinger, Frank 951
Heydinger, Mrs. Margaret 95]
Hibner, John 303
Hieber, Frederick W 574
Hieber, Jacob 635
Hieber, John G 923
Hieber, Mrs. Lizzie 932
High, Adam 227
High, Adam F 963
High, J. J 977
High, William A 609
Hilborn, Isaac 314
Hilborn, T. E 1002
Hildebrand, Curtis E 776
Hildebrand, C. E 536
Hildebrand, Jacob 909
INDEX
15
Hillis, Davis W 633
Hills, Pearl J 1001
Hipp, Christian 214
Hipp, Hon. Frederick 604
Hipp, J. George 746
Hoeriger, Frank J 758
Hof stetter. Miss Louise 814
Holcker, Charles 1084
Holcker, Herman 1062
Holcker, Jacob 1084
Holcker, Louis 1084
Holcker, Richard 1063
Holt, Sidney 296
Holtzhouse, Jay L 785
Hoot, Daniel W 985
Hoover, Burdett K 834
Hoover, Christian 234
Hoover, Charles F 633
Hoover, Christian 796
Hoover, George M 1181
Hoover, George W. 656
Hoover, Lincoln 932
Hoover, William F 817
Hopley, Frank L 1195
Hopley, James E 686
Hopley, John 627
Hopley, John E 948
Hopple, Jeremiah 895
Howe, Aaron B 70
Hubbert, Philip 355
Hubbell, Walter M 611
Hubley, J. Foster 655
Hulse Brothers 70
Hunsicker, Henry W 1085
Hurr, Isaac W 613
Jackson, Gen. Andrevr 63
Jacobs, August 293
Jcnner, George L 1109
Johnson, Disberry 72, 303
Johnson, Emanuel 919
Johnson, J. E 641
Johnson, Prof. Thomas N 1248
Johnston, Henry D. E 945
Johnston, Eobert W 964
Johnston, Thos. F 235, 378
-Jones, William 1118
Juilliard, Jean N 607
Jump, Charles N 801
Jump, W. J 690
Kalb, William 214
Kaple, Andrew 969
Kavanagh, Edward 696
Kearsley, Major Edmund R 699
Keckler, Josiah H. G 978
Keel, William H 575
Kehrer, Frank B 1074
Kehrer, Henry A 782
Keifer, Peter H 1080
Keller, Amos F 1103
Keller, 0. J 914
Kemp, F. L 1043
Kemp, Victor L 639
Kennedy, Otho W. 595
Kennedy, Thomas S '■ 1065
Kepler, Flavins S 833
Kern, John F 1220
Kerr, Alexander M 707
Kerr, John 736
Kerr, Robert 236
Keyes, Rev. Francis J 1124
Kibler, A. G .1352
Kibler, Matthias 228
Kibler, S. J 580
Kichline, George H 968
Kieffer, Louis 988
Kiess, Joseph F 733
Kiess, J. H 899
Kiess, Sidney E 808
Kiess, Simon 721
Kiess, Verne E 1233
Kiess, William C 692
Kiess, Winfield S 720
Kilbourne, Col. Jas 90, 97, 366
Kile, Eli 803
Kimble, Willis P 1037
Kimmerline, F. A 1138
Kimerline, Jonathan F 1022
King, Joseph ' 1152
Kinsey, A. H 1097
Kinsey, Henry A 1035
Kitteridge, John 303
Klein, G. M 1038
Kleinknecht, Jacob K 769
Klopp, Charles E 1145
Knapp, Jacob nag
Knapp, John R 136
Knell, William 738
Knisely, Joseph , 896
Knisely, Samuel 73
Knoble, Lewis L., V. S 1151
Kopp, Frederick L 1219
Krauter, John W 924
Krauter, William 785
Kreim, Frank J 10O6
Kreim, Joseph 1029
Kreiter, Daniel 1104
Krohn, Henry S 835
Kuehnle, Frederick 343
Kuhn, George M 779
Kunnert, Rev. John P 96I
Kurrley, Henry R 907
Kurtz, Isaac 735
16
INDEX
Kurtz, John J 703
Kurtz, Samuel 891
Kurtz, Samuel 1234
Kurtz, Simeon 6 751
Lahman, William 978
Laird, Robert 686
Lake, Charles 727
Lamb, Frank E 1001
Lanius, Charles H 851
La Rue, Frank 1090
La Rue, Harry 6 615
Lash, G. Franklin " 891
Lashmutt, John S. De 610
Lauck, Benjamin F 1086
Lauck, George 377, 381.
Lauer, William 1121
Laughbaum, A. H ^ 955
Laughbaum, Isaac A 784
Lauthers, John A 866
Layer, George F 918
Lea, H. A 929
Lederer, A. G 970
Lederer, Jacob 985
Lee, Rev. Robert 269
Leith, Geo. W 94, 329
Leith, John and Samuel 94
Leitzy, Joseph 848
Leitzy, John M 666
Lemert, Lewis 338
Lemert, Col. Wilson 0. 1179
Leonhart, George 214
Leonhart, William A 1183
Lepp, Henry 1019
Leuthold, Alfred 650
Leuthold, Godfrey 656
Leveridge, Benjamin 303
Lewis, A. W 1239
Lewis, Milton R 737
Libins, Edward 1305
Lichty, G. Raymond 833
Light, John H 595
Lingenfelter, Claude A., M. D 870
Link, Adam 278
Linn, L. J 947
Linn, Orra H 578
Lisse, Hugh 774
Long, Michael 972
Longstreth, Thomas W 984
Loomis, John W 668
Lones, Joseph 243, 251
Lonsway, Raphael M ''21
Lott, Harry E 889
Loudon, A. A • 1009
Lowe, Austin F 1036
Lowmiller, William H 723
Loyer, A. E., M. D 602
Lucus, John 315
Ludlow, Maxwell 68
Ludwig, Clark T 601
Luke, John 315
Luscombe, John T 695
Lust, Abraham J 596
Lust, David, V. S. . : 837
Lust, Jacob 853
Lust, John 994
Lutz, Gottlelb 214
Lutz, T. John 847
McCallister, Belman 7H
McCarrell, James S., D. D. S 851
McCarron, John W 643
McCarthy, William 1191
McClain, Marcus H 1113
McClellan, John M 1146
McClenathan, William A 1196
McCracken, Chas. W. 136
McCracken, Hugh, James and John 377
McCracken, James 600
McClure, Thomas 275
McDougal, Victor 718
MoFarland, Forest R 678
McFarquhar, Hugh 639
McGaughy, F. C, D. D. S 675
McHenry, William M 857
McJunkin, Harry M 1120
McKinley, James 316
McMichael, Daniel 198
MoMichael, John 612
McMichael, Leroy 1041
McNeal, Dennis A 890
McNeal, Joshua 890
McWherter, William H 1080
Mackey, David 1167
Mackey, Harry 791
Mader, William F 633
Magee, James 314
MaGee, William 714
Malcolm, Gilbert F 815
Mann, Charles A 936
Maple, Aaron 1156
Marquart, August 1066
Marquart, George M 939
Marquart, Jefferson 959
Marquis, William V 300
Martin, George F. 983
Martin, Harry J 584'
Martin, James J., M. D 579
Martinitz, John 830
Mason, John 235
Mason, William 691
Matthew, Charles F 853
Maxfield, John 275
INDEX
17
Mayer, George C 636
Meek, Benjamin 587
Meek, John A 847
Messner, John 789
Meuser, John 665
Meyer, John C. i 805
Michener, Carey A 1076
Millard, Rev. Thomas 184
Miller, Carl C 1147
Miller, Charles H 1075
Miller, Charles E 706
Miller, Daniel 305
Miller, Edward 951
Miller, Hon. Frank 1067
Miller, George W 1076
Miller, Herman F 633
Miller, Miss Inez 907
Miller, Isaac 331
Miller,- Jacob 321
Miller, James 844
Miller, James W 1046
Miller, Hon. J. R 931
Miller, Lewis 932
Miller, Miss Louise 773
Miller, Mrs. Samuel 863
Miller, Stansbury L 761
Milliken, John I....y 836
Milliron, William E 1105
Mitchell, William B 1136
Moderwell, John , 377, 383
Moe, Albe 1050
MoUenkopf, L. F 972
Monnett, Abraham 237
Monnett, Abraham 942
Monnett, Abram C 867
Monnett, Ephraim B 1171
Monnett Family, The 201
Monnett, Jeremiah 237
Monnett, Rev. Thomas J 909
Monnette, Isaiah S 1124
Monroe, A. W. 994
Monroe, Charles F 1023
Moorhead, Alem 1175
Morgan, Chalmer D., M. D 1198
Morkel, John P 1061
Morckel, Tobias 1095
Morehead, Jedediah ■ 69'
Morrow, James L 1157
Morse, Rodolphus 70, 181, 184, 189
Motsch, Joseph 1119
Murphy, John S 664
Musgrave, R. W 278
Mutchler, William 1 906
Muth, Willis E 1133
Myers, George 225, 227
Nagel, L. H •■■•• 876
Nail, James 73, 303, 304, 373
Nedolast, George 950
Nedolast, Mrs. Thomas ■ ■ 1016
Neff, Aaron 938
Neflf, Adam 1108
Neflf, Emanuel 900
Neflf, Frank A 1093
Ness, George F 1092
Neumann, George W 671
Neuman, Jacob J 783
Neumann, Peter T 819
Newell, Joseph 245
Newkirk, Arthur C 1150
Nickels, George W 1073
Niedermeier, Joseph 1026
Niman, Jeremiah 786
Noblit, John A.. 780
Noggle, Walter L.. 1151
Norton, Fernando J 823
Norton, Samuel 90, 97, 195i 374, 397
Nungesser, Christian A 1030
Nungesser, Melanchthon G 798
Nungesser, Frank 1134
Nungesser, Samuel W 1168
Oberlander, H. N 837
Otto, Carl L 1110
Ocker, Allen W. 922
Oder, Charles 1082
Parcher, John 855
Parcher, Samuel . . ....'. 353
Patterson, Jesse J. 1123
Paul, Doddridge 331
Paully, Ensign 43
Paxton, Harry A , 810
Peppard, D. M 1047
Perky, Christopher 293
Perrott, Ralph 0 646
Perry, Commodore 63
Peterman, William L 599
Pettigon, John 69
Petri, Jacob H 960
Retry, David 863
Pfahler, Jefferson 1252
Pfahler, John C 974
Pfouts, John D 631
Phelps, Frederick J 818
Phillips, A. N 879
Phillips, Henry 876
Picking, Samuel 381
Pickering, Lewis D 923
Pif her, Joseph 1045
Pigman, Frank 633
Place, Burt B 1056
Poister, Henry ggg
Pool, Hon. P. W 1233
18
INDEX
Porter, David 246, 249
Porter, Howard B 1199
Pounder, Harry A 1168
Poundstone, Jacob 382
Powers, Volney 237
Pratt, William H 238
Piiehta, John A 972
Piigh, John 220
Pugh, Moses 939
Pugh, Senate A 946
Quaintance, Ira E 1238
Quaintance, Jesse 379
Quaintance, John 221
Quig, John A 1017
Quilter, Frank J 759
Reid, Edward G 703
Reid, William M 703
Reiff, Charles G. F 643
Reiff, J. C 608
Reisinger, Louis K 1127
Reiter, Lewis 726
Renseh, Albert •. 912
Resch, William T 963
Rexroth, Henry P 683
Rexroth, John N 883
Rhoads, Porter F 1083
Richards, James 339
Rieksecker, Michael A 658
Ridgely, Westell 71, 266, 268, 269
Roberts, Charles W. 1174
Roberts, Mrs. Elizabeth, Sr 834
Roberts, John 1173
Roberts, Joseph W 1174
Robinson, J. Bert 913
Robinson, William 269
Roche, A. A. De 614
Roehr, Charles 1320
Rogers, Mrs. Lucy 374
Rondy, John W 1091
Rooks, Levi L 1245
Roop, H. J 889
Rorick, Samuel 583
Rosencrans, John 238
Ross, George 619
Ross, Jacob F 1053
Ross, John W 1137
Ross, Philip 616
Rowe, Charles R 588
Rowe, Thomas G 589
Rowse, Arthur C 616
Rowse, Zalmon 90, 97, 199, 352
Rue, Frank La 1090
Rue, Harry G. La 615
Ruhl, Frank I •■ 630
Rumer, Andrew McI 810
Rupert, Emery 994
Russell, John W 1323
Russell, Joseph 70
St. Bernard's Catholic Church , 961
St. Joseph's Catholic Church 1054
St. Joseph's Catholic Church , 1093
St. Mary's Catholic Church 1055
St. Patrick's Catholic Church 1134
Sand, George 846
Sargel, Henry C 947
Sawyer, John F. 1035
Sawyer, R. E 1036
Sehaber, Hgn. Charles F 573
Schaber, John A 106
Schack, Anthony 615
Schaefer, John J 1141
Schafstall, Albert C, V. S 955
Schieber, Emanuel 623
Sehiefer, Abraham 1089
Schiefer, George W 906
Schifer, William F 607
Schill, John 1155
Schill, M. H 668
Schimpf, John 889
Schmitz, Rev. G. M 1055
Schneider, Jacob J 882
Schreck, Francis M 958
Schriener, Rev. A. H 1054
Schuler, Harry R 797
Schumacher, Charles B 900
Schwenck, William J 703
Scott, Josiah 126
Scott, William C 883
Seroggs, Charles J 806
Sears, Rufus V 587
Seele, Albert J 854
Seele, WiUiam C 933
Seery, Reno R 1048
Seery, Solomon 293, 297
Seibel, Martin F 825
Seibert, Zen W., V. 8 1134
Sells, Rebecca 249
Shade, William R 769
ShaftstalV Christian P 1017
Sharer, Claude B 908
Sharrock, Alvertis D 861
Sharrock, Benjamin . . . . , 72, 300
Sharrock, Oscar K 679
Shawk, Charles L 645
Shawk, Jay F 891
Shawk, Jennings T ' 903
Shawk, T. C
Shealy, John 583
Shealy, Louis E 880
Shearer, Benjamin 95c
Sbearer, Charles W. . . ., 843
INDEX
19
Shearer, David 764
Shearer, Isaac 818
Sheckler, C. E., M. D 854
Sheckler, John P 1031
Sheehe, Charles M. 920
Sheetz, John H 1211
Sheihley, Alhert 940
Shell, Mrs. Catherine 1029
Shell, Joseph M 1029
Shemer, George L 693
Shemer, Levi 838
Sheppard, Col. David 44
Sheppard, Rev. Thomas J 660
Sherer, Simeon F 624
Shifley, Frederick E 598
Shonert, Christian 689
Shreck, Andrew 353
ShroU, Charles A 904
Shultz, Geo. P 376
Shumaker, Albert E 841
Shumaker, John B 1042
Shunk, Adam 682
Shunk, Nelson F 683
Shupp Family, The 250
Shupp, Michael 393
S'idner, Martin 598
Siefert, John 1123
Siefert, William 1013
Simonton, Charles A 1142
Simpson, Homer 804
Sites, Benjamin L 1067
Slifer, John 387
Smalley, Samuel 276
Smith, Elliott A 828
Smith, Horace J 1057
Smith, Howard H., M. D 1233
Smith, H. W 836
Smith, Isaac W 1164
Smith, Joseph 314
Smith, Jefferson 1 719
Smith, Joseph G 999
Smith, J. J 726
Smith, Kelly E 1148
Smith, L. Melancthon 1352
Snodgrass, Thomas 1111
Snyder, Christian 266
Snyder, Clarence E 801
Snyder, Frank J 654
Snyder, George 1058
Snyder, William H 1244
Solze, Frederick 1192
Songer, Hon. Edward J 762
Songer, Jonathan 1238
Songer, William H '. 996
Sourwine, Frank A 1098
Sourwine, Mrs. Frances M 1098
Sourwine, Henry 1098
Sowash, James 1050
Speigel, Winfield S 646
Spiegel, Edward A 827
Spiegel, J. W 834
Spillette, Frank H 934
Spillette, James M. 1014
Sponhauer, Henry C 1343
Sponseller, J. P 958
Spore, Charles S 874
Springer, W. L 813
Sprout, Webster H 817
Sprow, Frank 975
Stair, Frederick 1090
Starner, A. A., M. D 1036
S'tephan, Charles C 873
Stiger, Elias 964
Stiger, Jacob W 743
Stine, Charles E < 998
Stewart Family, The 351
Stoltz, Albert G 584
Story, Nehemiah and John. 303
Story, Nehemiah and Nathaniel 73
Strauch, George J 1054
Strieker, Daniel J 596
Stuckey, William J 1073
Stuckman, Fulton N 844
Stuckman, John W 1029
Stump, Henry J 746
Stump, Samuel J 871
Sutter, Joseph E 1060
Sutter, Louis H 1163
Swalley, William '. 393
Sweney, William S 637
Switzer, Charles E 1175
Swope, Isaac F 1346
Tames, James 314
Teel, George W 383
Thomas, P. C 1070
Throupe, James 749
Tobias, Daniel M 693
Tobias, Hon. James C 1144
Tobias, John L 627
Tobin, David E 1224
Trago, John H 1176
Trautman, Philip 1014
Trimble, Charles E., M. D 987
Treftz, Michael 277
Trimble, Hugh 353
Trish, Frederick 841
Tupps, Calvin D 762
Tupps, Isaac H 771
Tupps, Samuel A 775
Tupps, T. T 948
Tupps, William L 764
Tuttle, Daniel 334, 334
Uhle, Frederick B 1247
20
INDEX
Uhl, L. G. F 1147
Uhl, Michael 1044
Uhl, Jacob 995
Ulmer, Charles 795
Ulmer, David G 610
Ulmer, Harry J 942
Ulmer, Israel 670
Ulmer, Jacob F 976
Ulmer, William 573
Umberfield, Auer 375
Unger, Charles F 803
Utz, John L 984
Utz, Mrs. Mary 984
Van Voorhis, Eugene 631
Van Voorhis, Harry V 631
VoUmer, Charles 835
VoUrath, Edward 1313
Vore, Absolom M >. 743
Vorndran Bros 820
Vorndran, Herman J 830
Vorndran, Joseph A 820
Wachs, Prof. Simeon R 1009
Waechter, Rev. Joseph R 1093
Wagner, Frank C 725
Wagoner, George L 1117
Walcutt, Robert U 1094
Walther, Christopher 739
Walther, Frank A 1159
Walton, George 234
Warner, Joseph F 640
Waller, Milton 393
Walter, Daniel 321
Washington, George 43
Waters, Jacob 277
Waters, W. A 905
Watson, Cooper K 127
Wayne, Gen. Anthony 60
Weaver, William H 1097
Wechter, Mrs. Amelia 1033
Wechter, Joseph A 1033
Weidemaier, Samuel F 853
Weirick, John 670
Weithman, D. N 1237
Welshons, G. P 897
Weller, Charles K 845
Wentz, John 865
Wentz, J. Ernest 873
Wentz, John 1 998
Wenzelick, Andrev? 1016
Wert, Charles M 895
Wert, Charles S 874
Whalen, J. P 694
White, .Charles W 234
White, David H 651
White, Leo 694
White, Resolved 70, 180
White, Willard T 858
Whiteamire, Edward A 1333
Whiteamire, Jacob 775
Whitmeyer, C. L 760
Wickham, Anson 816
Wickham, August 293
Willford, Lorenzo D 122^
Williams, Isaac 277
Williamson, Clemence J., V. S 872
Williamson, Col. David 46, 47, 53
Winans, William J-. 920
Winch, Daniel P 949
Winemiller, M. A 702
Wingert, William 246, 349
Wingert, William M 801
Winstead, James 333
Wise, William R 718
Wisman, Alfred E 970
Winters, Eli 293
Witter, Henry 590
Wright, J. Walter 575
Worden, Joseph 138
Wolf, Martin 377
Worden, James 106
Worden, "Uncle Jimmie" 138
Yaussy, Godfrey 794
Yeagley, Lafayette. 1300
Yingling, Jonas 292
Yost, John 377
Young, Bernard 982
Zaebst, Adam 956
Zaebst, Mrs. Harriet 956
Zane, Elizabeth 45
Zeigler, G. K 1243
Zellner, Harvey G 1071
Zerbe, John K 967
Ziegenfus, David 774
Zimmerman, John H 1060
Zimmerman, John S 1006
Zimmerman, Samuel A 779
Zink, David L 864
Zook, A. M 846
Jj£-6iC^^ A ,
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
CHAPTER I
GEOLOGICAL HISTORY
Formation of the Earth, Including Crawford County, Together with the Discovery of the
Oldest Known Inhabitant — Age of the Earth According to Sir William Thompson's Cal-
culations— Prof. Tait's Views — Thickness of the Earth's Crust — Different Theories —
Age of Crawford Geologically Considered — The Order of Creation — Geological Strata
and Sub-Strata — The Glacial Period and Theories Concerning It — Ancient Animal Life
— Plant Life — Pre-Glacial Man — Mastodonic Remains Found at Bucyrus — Our Early
"Settlers"— The Mound Builders and Indians.
"In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth. And the earth was without form and
void. — Genesis, I — 1-2.
In studying the geological history of Ohio,
it is a pleasure to know that Crawford county
is very old. Although the county was settled
less than a hundred years ago, it ranks equally
in age with the older portions of the earth.
It is difficult to decide as to what that age
is, as eminent geologists differ by many mil-
lions of years. Dr. CroU places the age "at
not less, but possibly much more, than sixty
million years." The stratified rocks of the
earth's crust give abundant proof that the
whole fauna and flora of the earth's sur-
face have passed through numerous cycles of
revolution — species, genera, families, appear-
ing and disappearing many times in succession.
On any supposition it must be admitted that
these vicissitudes in the organic world can
only have been effected with the lapse of vast
periods of time. The argument from geolog-
ical evidence is strongly in favor of an interval
of probably not much less than one hundred
million years since the earliest form of life
appeared upon the earth, and the oldest strati-
fied rocks began to be laid down.
Sir William Thompson figures the age of
the earth on three different lines. First the
internal heat and rate of cooling of the earth :
He holds that estimating from the known rate
of increase of temperature downward and
beneath the earth's surface, and the rate of
loss of heat from the earth we have a limit
to the antiquity of the planet. He shows
from the data available, that the superficial
consolidation of the globe could not have oc-
curred less than twenty million years ago, or
the underground heat would have been greater
than it is. Neither could it have occurred
more than four hundred million years ago
or the underground temperature would have
shown no sensible increase downward. The
distinguished scientist admits that a difference
of 380,000,000 years as to the age is consider-
able latitude, but says that a wide limit is
necessary. He inclines to the theory that the
lower, rather than the higher, figure is nearer
correct and places his estimate as to the age
of the earth, judging from heat, at one hun-
dred million years. Second, the tidal retarda-
tion of the earth's rotation: He argues that
owing to the friction of the tidal wave, the
rotation of the earth is retarded, and is there-
fore much slower now than it must have been
at one time. He contends that had the globe
21
22
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
become solid some ten thousand million years
ago, or indeed any antiquity beyond a hun-
dred million years, the centrifugal force due
to the more rapid motion must have given the
planet a much greater polar flattening than it
actually possesses. Third, the origin and age
of the sun's heat: He proceeds upon calcula-
tions as to the amount of heat which would
be available by the falling together of masses
from space, which gave rise by their impact
to our sun.
The vagueness of the data on which this
argument rests may be inferred from the fact
that in discussing this Prof. Tait places the
limit of time during which the sun has been
illuminating the earth, as, "on the very high-
est computation, not more than about fifteen
or twenty million of years," while, later on
in the same volume, he admits that "by cal-
culations in which there is no possibility of
large error, this hypothesis (the origin of the
sun's heat by the falling together of masses
of matter) is thoroughly competent to explain
one hundred million years of solar radiation
at the present rate, perhaps more." It is safe
to say, therefore, the age of the earth, of
which Crawford county is an important part,
can be placed at a hundred million years. To
those inclined to criticise wise scientists as to
their wide divergence as to the age of the
earth, their attention is called to the fact that
an equally wide divergence frequently exists
in the result of an election, based on the fact
as to whether the figures are given out before
or after the votes are cast and counted.
Another important point on which scien-
tists differ is the thickness of the earth's crust.
Naturally all are interested in the solidity and
substantiality of this county. Early writers
were of the opinion the center of the earth
was a seething mass of fire, demonstrated by
the volcanoes belching forth their molten
lava; and the thickness of the crust was ten
to twenty miles, shown by the fact of earth-
quakes bursting this crust where it was thin-
nest. Three theories also are advanced as to
the interior of the earth. First, that the
planet consists of a solid crust and a molten
interior. They hold that the ascertained rise
of temperature as you go into the earth from
the surface (about one degree for every sixty
feet) is such that at a very moderate depth
the ordinary melting point of the most re-
fractory substances would be reached. At
twenty miles the temperature, if it increases
progressively, as it does in the depths acces-
sible to observation, must be about 1,760 de-
grees Fahrenheit, and at fifty miles, about
4,600 degrees, about 1,500 degrees hotter than
the fusing point of platinum. This school
holds that all over the world volcanoes exist
from which steam, fire, and molten lava burst
forth. Many as these active volcanoes are
today, they form but a small proportion of
the volcanoes which have been in existence
since early geological times. It is held, there-
fore, that these numerous funnels of com-
munication with the interior could not have
existed and poured forth such a vast amount
of molten rock, unless they had some inex-
haustible base of supplies. Also, the product
of these eruptions from Europe, Asia, Africa,
America and the islands, from widely sepa-
rate regions, when compared and analyzed,
are found to exhibit a remarkable uniform-
ity of character, which can only be accounted
for from the fact that they come from one
common source. The abundant earthquake
shocks, which affect large areas of the globe,
are maintained to be inexplicable except on
the supposition of a thin and somewhat flex-
ible crust.
The second school holds that with the ex-
ception of local hollow spaces the earth is
solid and rigid to the center. In 1839 Prof.
Hopkins, of Cambridge University, advanced
the theory of a much thicker crust, and per-
haps a solid interior. He held that the revolu-
tion of the earth on its axis, and its revolu-
tion around the sun, could not possibly be as
they are if the planet consisted of a central
ocean of molten rock surrounded with a crust
of twenty or thirty miles in thickness; that
the least possible thickness of crust, consistent
with the existing movements of the earth,
was from eight hundred to one thousand
miles, and that the whole might even be solid
to the center, with the exception of compara-
tively small spaces filled with molten rock.
Sir William Thompson took the same view,
saying that the assumption of a very thin
crust requires that the crust shall have such
a perfect rigidity as is possessed by no known
substance. The tide-producing force of the
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
23
moon and sun exerts such a strain upon the
substance of the globe that it seems in the
highest degree improbable that the planet
could maintain its shape as it does, unless the
supposed crust were at least 2,000 to 2,500
miles in thickness.
The third school holds that while the great
mass of the earth is solid, there exists be-
tween the crust and a solid interior a mass
of molten rock. This suggestion was ad-
vanced by Rev. O. Fisher as a harmonious
solution between' the two schools, but, geolog-
ically considered, there was no foundation for
any such solution of the problem.
It has now been shown as reliably as pos-
sible that the structural area of Crawford
county is practically a hundred million years
old, and whether the crust of the earth at
this point is 2,500 miles thick, or less, it has
certainly sufficient thickness to sustain the
weight of any increase of population which
the most optimistic figurer might desire.
Next comes the formation, the building up,
of the earth. There are two accounts of the
formation of the earth, and both fairly agree.
The shorter is given first :
"In the beginning God created the heaven
and the earth, and the earth was without form
and void; and darkness was upon the face of
the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon
the face of the waters. And God said, "Let
there be light," and there was light. And God
saw the light that it was good; and God di-
vided the light from the darkness. And God
called the light Day and the darkness he called
Night. And the evening and the morning
were the first day."
Second Day — God created the firmament,
and divided the waters which were under the
firmament from the waters which were above
the firmament.
Third Day — God gathered the waters under
■the heaven unto one place and created the
dry land, and caused the land to bring forth
grass and herbs and trees.
Fourth Day — God created the sun and the
moon and the stars, and arranged the days and
the seasons and the years.
Fifth Day — God created from the waters
the creatures that inhabit the waters and that
fly above the earth.
Sixth Day — God created the animals that
occupy the land, and then he made man after
his own image and gave him dominion over
every living creature, the fishes of the sea and
the fowls of the air, and the animals of the
earth. And He said, "I have given you every
herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of
all the earth, and every tree in which is the
fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall
be for meat. And to every beast of the earth,
and to every fowl of the air, and to every-
thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein
there is life. I have given every green herb
for meat."
The other account is the geological, show-
ing the earth is built up of several distinct
strata, deposited in the different ages, and by
the fossil remains found in the different
strata scientists are able to trace the eras in
which the earth became habitable to different
animals. The Ohio Geologist, Prof. Edward
Orton, commences the strata underlying Ohio
with the Silurian. The fossil remains show
there were two such distinct deposits of this
era that geologists call it the Lower and
Upper Silurian, the Lower Silurian being the
first deposit. On top of the Upper Silurian
came the Devonian, and on this the Carbon-
iferous. Above came the Glacial deposit, a
rearrangement of the exterior of the earth,
the other strata having been built up from
the interior.
Scientists and archaeologists differ as to
what caused the great glacial period which
swept down from the frozen north some
eternities ago. There are several schools. One
accounts for it by the precision of the equi-
noxes, holding it was due to the laws of
gravitation and celestial mechanics, and that
the earth's ecliptic or ecliptical revolutions
around the sun have been constantly chang-
ing, so that what was once the equatorial cli-
mate was in the Arctic region and vice versa,
thus accounting for the fact of remains of
tropical animals and plants being found in
the Arctic regions.
The Annular School holds that when the
earth was forming it was surrounded by a
series of annular belts, the results of igneous
fires raging during the ages of the earth's
formation, solidifying, as the centuries passed,
into the rock which eventually formed the
solid surface of the globe. From the intense
24
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
interior fires gases forced their way, and fol-
lowed the earth's movements, and although
thousands of miles away, still within the
earth's attraction. This vapor separated into
strata, the heaviest nearest the earth, but they
all revolved around the earth similar to the
present rings of Saturn. The question was
whether these great belts would break away
into space, or whether the attraction of gravi-
tation would attach them to the earth. Af-
ter any number of millions of years the at-
traction of gravitation slowly but surely con-
quered, and the gases, solidified by ages, be-
came a part of the earth, changing its form,
and each succeeding attachment marking a
geological epoch, accounting for the changes
in vegetable and animal life, and the appear-
ance of new types in both the vegetable and
animal kingdoms. In the great fight which
raged between the elements endeavoring to
escape, and the earth endeavoring to hold
them, it can be readily seen that as the earth
obtained the mastery, and finally, by the at-
traction of gravitation, brought them nearer
and nearer, increasing in speed as the earth's
power of attraction became stronger, they
would be attached with great force, produc-
ing powerful shocks and violent convulsions
of the entire earth. For some reason the at-
traction was strongest at the poles, lessening in
force-as it reached the equator, and it was one
of these violent convulsions, which caused the
glacial epoch, driving, pouring, hurling, all the
frozen north down toward the equator. Geol-
ogy shows, so far as Ohio is concerned, this
great belt of ice and snow, rocks and boulders,
earth and debris was forced southward until
it covered all the great lakes, and practically
all north of the Ohio river. The geological
formation shows it covered Ohio from a point
north of where the Ohio river enters Penn-
sylvania, extending thence southwesterly to
the Ohio river a few miles above Cincinnati,
Crawford county being covered by this glacial
deposit.
Under whatever circumstances the earth was
formed the first deposit on the surface was
the Silurian, and some ages later another de-
posit or solidification, called the Upper Silu-
rian, to distinguish it from the first or Lower
Silurian. In the Silurian deposits are found
cellular marine plants and the lower order of
fish, while in the Devonian there are a few
specimens of cryptogramic ferns of vascular
plants and trilobites with abundant fish.
Humboldt states in his Cosmos that: "The
oldest transition strata contain merely cellu-
lar marine plants, and it is only in the De-
vonian system that a few cryptogramic forms
of vascular plants have been observed. Noth-
ing appears to corroborate the theoretical
views that have started regarding the sim-
plicity of primitive forms of organized life,
or that vegetable preceded animal life, and
that the' former was necessarily dependent
upon the latter."
The carboniferous deposits were next, and
in the lower strata saurians are found, to-
gether with fish in abundance and occasional
specimens of land plants. The upper carbon-
iferous strata contain plants in abundance,
some sixty feet high, and these, in the coal
deposits, show that the earth was thick and
dense with plants and trees. Here the sau-
rians show diminution in size, and monster
land animals make their appearance, these
animals showing through the different strata
of the carboniferous deposits that while all
lower strata were water animals, as the world
was building these water animals became half
land and half water, and it is only in the
upper carboniferous strata that the land mon-
sters of the past were found; and after ani-
mals came the birds. In all these strata, com-
mencing with fish, followed by reptiles, ani-
mals and birds, no trace of man is found.
In the Lower Silurian, Ohio is underlaid
with the Trenton, Utica, and Hudson river
limestones in ascending order. In the Upper
Silurian come the Medina, Clinton, Niagara
and Heidelberg layers. It is in these Silurian
strata oil and gas are discovered, geologists
advancing the theory that oil is formed from
chemical action on the fish that abounded in
that age. In the Devonian are the Devonian
limestones and the Hamilton and Ohio shales.
Then come the carboniferous, the lowest bed
being called the Waverly, and this divided
into the Bedford Shale, Hamilton Shale and
Ohio Shale, the latter again divided into the
Huron, Erie and Cleveland Shale. On top
of these is sub-carboniferous limestone, cov-
ered with a layer of conglomerate series.
From this to the glacial drift are the coal
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
25
series the strata in which coal is found. The
strata underlying Ohio is taken from the cele-
brated Ohio geologist, Prof. Edward Orton.
^he carboniferous strata was formed millions
of years ago (more or less) by the deposits
of vast forests, which some chemical action
turned into coal. It is probable that during
the carboniferous period the atmosphere must
have been warmer and with more aqueous
vapor and carbonic acid in its composition
than at the present day to admit of so lux-
uriant a flora as that from which the coal
seams were formed. The vast beds of coal
found all over the world, in geological for-
mations of many different ages, represent so
much carbonic acid once present in the air.
In different sections of the state the various
strata occur at varying depths, due to the
different upheavals of the earth in the ages
long past; the strata also vary in thickness in
different localities.
The sub-strata of Crawford county, or any
other section of the earth, shows that this
globe was millions of years in forming. It
was originally decidedly liquid in character,
the fires of the interior contending with the
waters of the surface for the mastery, the
interior throwing out vast masses to be at-
tacked and disintegrated by the waters which
covered the earth. Through long ages the
battle between the two elements— fire and
water — continued, and the interior won, and
a foundation for the earth was laid; true it
was soft, spongy and marshy, but still a
foundation. The geological strata show, at
this time, no specimens except those of the
lowest order of water animals, practically only
threads with life. In what is known as the
Silurian deposits, as the ages advanced these
water animals became firmer, and instead of
being merely threads of life, they had some
body and the trilobite appears. Of the de-
posits of these earlier forms of marine ani-
mal life. Dr. Buckland draws the conclusion
that "the eyes of the trilobites carries to liv-
ing man the certain knowledge, that millions
of years before his race existed, the air he
breathes, and the light by which he sees, were
the same as at this hour and that the sea must
have been, in general, as pure as it is now."
Each additional layer of the Silurian
showed more solidity in the construction of
the water animals, until finally the monsters
of the deep held full sway of the globe. Some
of these sea animals showed there was land,
their construction being decidedly reptilian,
but the land was low, marshy and boggy, as
the remnant of no strictly land animal was
found. The world was in the possession of
the water animals, reptiles, and the indica-
tions are it was in their possession many
thousand times longer than it has been in
the possession of man. Dr. Buckland, the
English naturalist, says : "When we see that
so large and so important a range has been as-
signed to reptiles among the former population
of our planet, we cannot but regard with feel-
ings of new and unusual interest, the compara-
tively diminutive existing orders of that most
ancient family of quadrupeds with the very
name of which we usually associate a senti-
ment of disgust. We shall view them with
less contempt, when we learn, from the rec-
ords of geological history, that there was a
time when reptiles not only constituted the
chief tenants and most powerful possessors
of the earth, but extended their dominion also
over the waters of the sea; and that the an-
nals of their history may be traced back
through thousands of years, antecedent to
that latest point of progressive stages of ani-
.mal creation, when the first parents of the
human race were called into existence."
It was from the remains of these innumer-
able fishes and reptiles that through some
chemical action the oil fields came and through
them the gas fields.
Later deposits of the earth showed stronger
and higher land plants ; and commencing with
the lowest order of land animals, these ani-
mals showed increasing solidity of structure,
evidencing the fact that the earth was be-
coming habitable. All this took ages, the in-
terior constantly throwing out great masses
until it finally established a foundation, which
the almost universal sea failed to sweep away ;
on this it builded. The geological structure
further shows the air was not yet habitable,
the atmosphere too light, as no remnants of
bird life are discovered, everything lived
either in the water or on the earth. And it
is only on the last deposits of the Carboni-
ferous strata that birds appear. Traces of
fish, reptiles, plants, animals and birds are
26
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
shown in the geological deposits in the order
named, but no trace of man.
The nearest approach to the human form is
in the topmost drift of all, just before the
glacial period when fossils of the quadru-
manna (four handed or monkey tribe) were
found; one, three feet high, contained four
incisor teeth, two canine, four false grinders,
and six true grinders in a continuous series.
So we have the progression. "The earliest
animals and plants are of the simplest kind.
Gradually as we advance through the higher
strata, or, in other words, as Ave proceed
through the record of progressive creation,
we find animals, and plants of higher and
higher structure till at last we come to the
superficial strata, where there are remains of
kinds, approximating to the highest of all
animated tribes, namely, man himself. But
before the above discoveries there remained
one unmistakable gap in the series. The
quadrumanna, or monkey, who forms an or-
der above common mammalia, but below the
bimana, or human tribes, \vere wanting.
Now, this deficiency is supplied; and it is
shown that every one of the present forms of
animated existence, excepting the human, ex-
isted at the time when the superficial strata
was formed. The only zoological event of
an important nature subsequent to that period
is the creation of man; for we may consider
of a lesser importance the extinction of many
of the specific varieties which flourished in
the geological ages, and the creation of new."*
The earth was now created, inhabited by
everything • except man, and then came the
glaciers from the north, rearranging and
shifting the entire universe.
The Glacial drift, the geologists divide into
six parts, the lowest being the Glacial drift,
above this the Erie clays, the Forest bed, the
Iceberg, drift and the Terraces or Beeches
which mark intervals of stability in the grad-
ual recession of the water surface to its pres-
ent level. f
The geologists say the Glacial period was
one of continual elevation, during which the
topography of the country wzs much the same
as now, the draining streams following the
lines they now do, but cutting down their beds
*Humboldt.
tOrton.
until they flowed sometimes two hundred feet
lower than they do at present. In the latter
part of this period of elevation, glaciers, de-
scending from the Canadian islands, exca-
vated and occupied the valleys of the great
lakes, and covered the lowlands down nearly
to the Ohio river. Next, by a depression of
land and elevation of temperature, the glaciers
retreated northward, leaving in the interior
of the continent, a great basin of fresh water,
in which the Erie clays were deposited. This
water was drained away until a broad land
surface was exposed within the drift area.
Upon this surface grew forests, largely of
red and white cedar, inhabited by the ele-
phant, mastodon, giant beaver, and other
large, now extinct, animals. Again comes the
submergence of this land and the spreading
over it, by iceberg agency, of gravel, sand
and boulders; the gradual draining off of the
waters, leaving the land as we now find it,
smoothly covered with all the layers of the
drift, and well prepared for human habita-
tion.
How many years all this took is purely con-
jectural.
In not one of any strata prior to the glacial
deposits have the fossil remains of man been
found. Fishes, reptiles, animals and plants,
are shown to have existed, prior to the glacial
period. Prof. Frederick Wright mentions a
stone instrument found by Dr. C. L. Metz
near Cincinnati which scientists are confident
was made by man. And Prof. Wright ob-
sen,'es from all the circumstances connected
with the discovery that it shows "that in Ohio,
man was an inhabitant before the close of the
glacial period. We can henceforth speak with
confidence of pre-glacial man in Ohio. It is
facts like these which give archaeological sig-
nificance to the present fruitful inquiries con-
cerning the date of the glacial epoch in North
America. J When the age of the Mound
Builders of Ohio is reckoned by centuries,
that of the pre-glacial man who chipped these
palaeolithic instruments must be reckoned by
thousand of years." Again he says: "It is
not so startling a statement as it once was,
to speak of man as belonging to the glacial
period. And with the recent discoveries of
tProf. Wright estimates the glacial period as
only 8,000 or 10,000 years ago.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
27
Dr. Metz we may begin to speak of our own
state as one of the earliest portions of the
globe to become inhabited. Ages before the
Mound Builders erected their complicated and
stately structures in the valleys of the Licking,
the Scioto, the Miami and the Ohio, man, in
a more primitive state, had hunted and fished
with rude instruments in some portions at
least of the southern part of the State. To
have lived at such a time, and to have suc-
cessfvilly overcome the hardships of that cli-
mate and the fierceness of the animal life,
must have called for an amount of physical
energy and practical skill which few of this
generation possess. Let us therefore not
speak of such people as inferior. They must
therefore have had all the native powers of
humanity fully developed, and are worthy an-
cestors of succeeding races."
From the geological structure of Crawford
county we find the first known inhabitant of
the county, and it is a pleasure to know he or
it was one of the prominent occupiers of the
earth. On August 13, 1838, in digging a mill-
race, Abraham Hahn came upon the bones
of a mastodon in a swamp just east of the
Toledo & Ohio Central shops at Bucyrus.*
It was found at a depth of only six feet.
This animal was a forest monster, which ex-
isted in the carboniferous era. The masto-
don also existed after the glacial period. This
section of Ohio has a formation of several
hundred feet of glacial drift, overlying the
carboniferous, so the mastodon may have
roamed this county after the glacial drift, or
in that drift was swept down from the north,
incased in the ice and rocks and debris, and
had lain there undisturbed for centuries.
Other remnants- of mastodon have been found
*THE FIRST INHABITANTS.
Mastodon — Land animal; twelve feet tall, body
thirteen feet long; similar to Megatherium but
heavier. Tail different, being like an elephant's tail.
Plesiosaurus — Water animal, about forty-five feet
long; head and neck like a snake, about seventeen
feet long; body perhaps six feet in diameter and
fourteen feet long, tapering to a point. Formed of
vertebrae from head to tail, with ribs in body.
Lived on fish and sea grasses.
Ichthyosaurus — Water animal, but partly land.
An overgrown crocodile of our present day; thirty
feet long; lived on fish.
Deinotherium — Land animal; a trifle larger than
an elephant. Lived on leaves and branches.
Pterodactyl— Between bird and reptile. About
in Holmes township. However they came
here, they were the first known occupiers of
the county. Crawford county, therefore, has
definite proof that it was in existence, and
habitable, in the ages- long ago.
As to when man first inhabited this section
the geological indications are that prior to the
Glacial drift there were none here, and none
anywhere else on the face of the globe — man
as he exists today. When the country was
discovered and the Indians inhabited this re-
gion, they were not the first settlers. Indian
lore shows that legends had descended to them
of a prior race being in this section ; how many
hundreds or thousands of years prior is an in-
determinable question. Practically all over the
state are elevations, the work of what are called
the Mound Builders. The line of the Glacial
drift, geologically considered, is pronounced,
and both inside and outside of this line the
work of the Mound Builders is found. The
glacial drift rearranged, shifted and covered
everything, so the Mound Builders and their
work probably followed after the glacial drift.
What became of the Mound Builders is a prob-
lem. Physical geography gives five distinct
races of men, and among them is the Indian.
If the Mound Builders of centuries ago became
the Indians of the present the problem is easily
solved. But the tendency of creation has ever
been upward, and thousands of years should
have produced more of advancement in civili-
zation than the nomadic wanderers through
our forests. It took millions of years to de-
velop water into the lowest order of animal
life; more millions to develop a more solidly
constructed marine animal. The same is true
of land, and millions of years passed before
eight feet high; wings twenty feet tip to tip; like a
large bat with head of bird and a beak.
Dinosaurus — Half reptile; half animal; four legs;
hind ones' strongest; sixty to eighty feet long; head
like a giraffe, with neck twenty-five feet; body
twenty-five feet and about eight feet in diameter;
tail, starting same size as body and thirty-five feet
long, tapering to a point.
Iguanodon — Reptile; fifty to sixty feet long;
front legs small, hind legs strong; could walk on two
feet similar to a kangaroo; length mainly in neck
and tail, similar to dinosaurus.
Deinornis — Bird, ten to eleven feet tall, and very
heavy body.
Megatherium — Land animal; twelve feet tall,
body thirteen feet long, including tail eighteen feet.
Lived on roots and branches of trees; tail large at
body.
28
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
the incipient tendrils of watery ground became
plants and trees, and the delicate animalculae
developed into the higher order of brute life.
The Mound Builders leave behind them crude
implements, and earthworks showing they were
a constructive race, living in communities, and
with indications of civilization. The Indians
were the reverse, and from the indications of
what the Mound Builders were and the known
facts of the Indian, it is difficult to conceive
any connection between the two races. While
the Indians were anything but a peaceful peo-
ple, even before the advent of the white man,
it is but just to them to say they only developed
the highest' and most insistent and persistent
ideas of cruel savagery after they came in con-
tact with a superior order of civilization.
CHAPTER II
DISCOVERY OF AMERICA
The Landing of Columbus and the Various Explorations — The Naming of America — Naddod,
the Norwegian — Iceland Visited by the Irish — Norse Settlements There in Sy^ — The
Expedition of Lief Ericson — Discovers the American Coast and Calls It Vinland — Norse
Settlements on Baffin's Bay, 1135 — Population and Trade of Iceland in the 12th Century
— Visited by Columbus, 1477 — The Zeni Brothers — The Landing of Columbus — Voyage
of Americus Vespucius — Spanish Settlements — The New World Presented to Spain by
the Pope — Expedition of Sebastian Cabot — Discovers Labrador — Explores Coast to So.
Carolina — Ponce de Leon Lands in Florida — Followed by de Soto— Expedition of Car-
tier — Sails up the St. Lawrence — D'Ayllon Kidnaps Indians — His Example Followed by
Cortoreal — Expedition of Verrasini — Possessions of Spain, England and France — Protes-
tant Settlements in South Carolina — The Settlers Murdered by the Spaniard Menendes
— The Massacre Avenged by de Gourges — Sir Richard Grenville Lands at the Island of
Roanoke — His Men Murdered by the Indians — The Colony Reestablished by John White
— Treats Indians Kindly — The First English Child Born in what is now the United States
— Jamestown Settlement of 1607 — Capt. John Smith — The Dutch Settle New York —
Landing of the Pilgrims — Other Settlements of English, Swedes and Dutch — Penn Set-
tles Pennsylvania — The French Establish Posts in Canada and Northwest Territory — Are
Driven from the United States and Canada — The United States Obtains Florida and Span-
ish Settlements Beyond the Mississippi — England obtains all East of the Mississippi — -
Also Territory West of the Rocky Mountains — The Northwest Boundary Settled — Lib-
eral Terms of Colonial Charters.
Steer on, bold sailor, wit may mock thy soul that tempting to reach the Faroe Islands, 200 miles
And'hopekss.'af the helm, may drop the weak and "Orthwest of the British Isles, was driven by
weary hand; storm to Iceland, and he found the land had
Yet ever, ever to the west, for there the coast must already been visited by the Irish. The Norse-
And'dim it dawns, and glimmering dawns, before "^^n made a Settlement there in 87s by In-
thy reason's eye, — Schiller. golf. The Colonization at Iceland was carried
in a southwesterly direction, through Green-
Columbus discovered America and landed land to the New Continent. Notwithstanding
on October 12, 1492. The country was named these Icelandic explorations westward, one
after Americus Vespucius, who discovered hundred and twenty-five years elapsed when
South America seven years later, and North Lief, a Norwegian, the son of Eric the Red,
America itself had been discovered five hun- in one of his voyages landed on the American
dred years prior to Columbus' discovery, coast, between Boston and New York, in the
Yet Columbus was given credit for the discov- year 1,000. He called the new land Vinland,
ery, as it was his voyage, followed up, which on account of the grapes growing there, and
settled the country. Toward the close of the he was naturally delighted with the fruitful-
ninth century Naddod, a Norwegian, while at- ness of the soil and the mildness of the cli-
29
30
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
mate as compared with Iceland and Green-
land. Later a settlement was made here, and
when the white people came to Rhode Island
in 1638 they discovered a tower of unhewn
stone made from gravel of the soil around, and
oyster-shell lime. It was circular in form, 23
feet in diameter and 24 feet high. The Nar-
ragansett Indians knew nothing of its origin.
The Icelandic chronicles state that besides Lief
the Red, Thorfinn Karlsefne visited the point
and settled here with his wife Gudrida, and
that a son was born to them, Snorre Thorb-
randsson. These historic chronicles seem to
have been written in Greenland as early as
the twelfth century and partly by descendants
of settlers born in Vinland, so others besides
Snorre were born there. The care with which
the genealogical tables are kept was so great
that that of Thorfinn Karlsefne, whose son
Snorre Thorbrandsson, was born in America,
has been brought down from 1,007, the date
of Snorre's birth, to the present, and Lossing
states this geneological tree shows that Thor-
waldsen, the great Danish sculptor, was a de-
scendant of this first known white child born
on American soil. The Icelandic history also
shows that explorers erected three boundary
pillars on the eastern shore of Baffin's Bay,
bearing a date of 1135. When these were
found in 1824 there were also discovered the
ruins of a number of buildings, showing there
had been a settlement there, and the records
further show frequent fishing trips to this and
other localities along Baffin's Bay.
At this time Iceland was an important place.
It had in iioo a population of 50,000 people,
had a government and records, and poets and
writers, and was farther advanced in litera-
ture at that time than any European nation.*
Ships from Bristol, England, kept up a con-
stant trade with Iceland, and Christopher Co-
lumbus himself, in a work on "The Five
Habitable Zones of the Earth," says that in
the month of February, 1477, he visited Ice-
land, "where the sea was not at that time cov-
ered with ice, and which had been resorted to
by many traders from Bristol." Columbus, in
the same work, mentions a more southern
island, Frislanda, a name which was not on
the maps pviblished in 1436 by Andrea Bianco,
*Encyclopasdia Britannica.
or those in 1457 and 1470 published by Fra
Mauro. The island is dwelt upon at length in
the travels of the brothers Zeni, of Venice,
in 1388 to 1404. But Columbus could not
have been acquainted with the travels of the
Zeni brothers as they were unknown to Zeni's
own Venetian family until 1558, when they
were first published, fifty-two years after the
death of Columbus. Therefore Columbus
knew there was land southwest of Iceland.
He could easily have reached this land by tak-
ing the beaten track to Iceland, and then
southwest, but his gtnius told him he could
find it by taking a westerly course from Spain,
which he did, and became the discoverer of a
new world.
The landing. of Columbus was on what is
now San Salvador, latitude 24 north, longi-
tude 76 west, one of the Bahamas, about
three hundred miles east of the Florida coast.
On this trip he cruised south as far as twenty
degrees north latitude and discovered Cuba
and San Domingo. In March, 1493, he re-
turned to Spain with plants, birds, animals
and Indians of the new world, and his jour-
ney overland from Palos to Barcelona, to meet
Ferdinand and Isabella, was the march of a
conqueror. At Barcelona the throne of the
rulers was erected in a Public Square and
Columbus was received with royal honors, all
the great of the kingdom being there to do him
homage. The counselors of Spain believed it
advisable to keep the wonderful discovery
quiet, as Columbus reported fabulous wealth
in the new world. That same year he re-
turned again to America, taking with him
several horses, a bull and some cows, the first
European animals taken to the new world.
He made two other voyages. In 1498 he
discovered the Orinoco, on the north coast of
South America. On his third voyage he was
returned to Spain in chains, owing to misrep-
resentations made to Queen Isabella. Matters
were easily explained and he made his fourth
and last trip, in 1502, but on his return in
1504 the Queen was dead, and his enemies
were in power, and he who had given Spain
a new nation and a glory that would last for
all time, died in poverty and obscurity at
Valladolid on the 20th of May, 1506. In the
meantime Americus Vespucius in 1499 visited
the Orinoco, one year after Columbus had dis-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
31
covered it, and returning gave a glowing ac-
count of the new world and it was named
America.
Immediately after the first discovery of Co-
lumbus, Spain made settlements in the islands
of the West Indies and reduced the Indians
to slavery, and Spanish cruelty and wrong
broke the spirit and lowered the standard of
the Indians. The Spanish colonists married
the Indian women, and from this union came
the mixed race of the West Indies. The Pope
recognized the discoveries of Spain, and by
an edict granted Spain the ownership of the
new world; that there might be no future
doubt of what Spain owned he gave them
control of "the whole region westward, be-
yond an Imaginary line 300 miles west of the
Azores."
Notwithstanding Spain made no public an-
nouncement of the discoveries of Columbus,
the most extravagant stories drifted through
Europe of the fabulous wealth of a new
world, and Sebastian Cabot, of Bristol, Eng-
land, on March 16, 1497, was granted a com-
mission of discovery by Henry VIII. Bristol
was the port which years previous had done
most of the trading with Iceland, and when
Cabot started, he took the well-known route
toward the northwest, and on July 3, 1497,
discovered the rugged coast of Labrador. He
skirted along the coast southward, past New-
foundland, touched at several points, and re-
turning to England announced the discovery
of what was undoubtedly a new continent.
The next year, 1498, he fitted out another ex-
pedition, and, like Columbus, his main object
was to discover a passage to India. Again he
reached Labrador, and cruised north, but the
ice stopped his progress, and he abandoned
his search for a northwest passage, and went
south, exploring the coast from Labrador to
North Carolina.
On March 27, 15 12, Ponce de Leon landed
in Florida, and took possession in the name
of the King af Spain — the first appearance
of Spain on United States soil. Years later,
in 1539, Ferdinand de Soto landed in Florida
with six hundred men, all warriors, and pro-
ceeded inland through Georgia, Alabama and
Mississippi, crossing the Mississippi river
somewhere below Memphis in May, 1541, tak-
ing possession of the land he passed over, and
the land beyond that river in the name of the
King of Spain. During the entire trip he had
much trouble with the Indians, men died of
sickness, and when he reached Florida on
September 20, 1543, of the six hundred men
who started but sixty returned, but they had
made a trip of three thousand miles, through
an unbroken wilderness, wandering on and on
in a vain search for the fabulous gold they
dreamed was somewhere in the interior.
In 1534 Jacques Cartier, a Frenchman,
went up the St. Lawrence river with his ships
as far as where Quebec now stands, and learn-
ing the Huron (Wyandotte) King had his
capital at a point called Hochelaga he paid him
a visit. The Wyandotte King entertained his
guest with the greatest hospitality and showed
by every means possible that the visitors were
welcome. Cartier remained the guest of the
King for several days and climbed the large
mountain, saw the magnificent St. Lawrence
stretching above and below him, the rich coun-
try as far as the eye could see in every direc-
tion, and he named it Mont Real, which is its
name today, the Metropolis of Canada with
a population of half a million. Cartier re-
turned the King's hospitality by a dinner on
board his vessel in which he made him a pris-
oner and took him to France, exhibiting him
to that civilized nation as one of the barbarian
curiosities of the new world. In 1542 Cartier
returned to the St. Lawrence, and had in-
tended taking the King back with him, but
the unfortunate savage, pining for his home
and people, had died of a broken heart. On
Cartier's arriving at Quebec with a force of
men to make a settlement, he found the In-
dians so unfriendly that he was compelled to
build a fort at Quebec for his protection.
This was the first experience of the Wyandotte
Indians with the newer and higher order of
civilization.
Practically the same thing occurred in South
Carolina. D'Ayllon, a French navigator, who
had founded a colony at San Domingo, started
for the Bermudas to capture a few slaves to
work the Domingo sugar and tobacco planta-
tions. Bad weather drove him to the coast
of South Carolina where he was furnished
water and provisions by the natives, and
treated with the greatest hospitality. He en-
tertained them in return on his bQats, showed
32
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
them over the vessels, and when a hundred
savages were below fastened down the
hatches, and sailed for San Domingo. One
vessel was lost, and on the other the savages
stubbornly refused food, and nearly all died
of starvation. A few years later D'AUyon re-
turned for more slaves. He landed on the
same coast, and was again hospitably received
by the ignorant natives. They gave him feasts
and banquets, and arranged a magnificent feast
at their capitol, and when in the wilderness,
miles from help, they were led into an ambush,
and the entire party massacred. Thus early
were the Indians learning the higher order of
civilization. Cortoreal of Portugal obtained a
permit from King John to make discoveries.
He reached Canada, captured fifty natives,
took them back to Portugal and sold them
for slaves. The investment was so profitable
that he immediately started for a second cargo,
but he was never heard of afterward.
In 1523, Francis the First, of France, sent
out John Verrazini with four vessels to make
discoveries. In March of 1 524 he reached the
Cape Fear river in North Carolina, and ex-
plored the coast, anchoring in Delaware Bay
and New York harbor, and landed where New
York now is. He treated the Indians to
liquor, and not being used to it many became
very drunk, from which fact the Indians then
called the place Manna-ha-ta, "place of
drunkenness." He continued his trip north
and named Canada New France.
The entire coast had now been discovered;
Spain had Florida and the southern part of
the United States and beyond the Mississippi;
England from the Carolinas north, and France
had Canada, all this within half a century
after Columbus' great discovery. Settlements
had been established by the Spanish and
French in the West Indies and by the Portu-
gese in Newfoundland, but no permanent set-
tlement had yet been made in the United
States.
The era had now arrived' when John Cal-
vin in England, Martin Luther in Germany,
and the Huguenots in France were bitter in
their opposition to the Catholic church, and
Admiral Coligny, the advisor of the weak
Charles the Ninth of France, decided to es-
tablish a place of refuge for the Protestants in
the new world. The King granted him a
commission for that purpose, and on Febru-
ary 28, 1562, a squadron under command of
John Ribault sailed for America. The fleet
first touched near the harbor of St. Augustine,
Florida, sailed north past the St. John's river
to Port Royal, the southeastern part of South
Carolina, where they established their colony,
calling it Carolina, in honor of Charles of
France. The colony did not prosper and ad-
ditional settlers were sent. In the meantime
Philip II of Spain, who claimed the territory
by virtue of Columbus' discovery, and the
edict of the Pope giving Spain everything
west of the Azores, was highly incensed at
this invasion of his territory, and sent Pedro
Menendez to Florida as Governor with strict
instructions to drive out the French and es-
tablish a Spanish colony. He had a strong
force and landed at St. Augustine, founding
a town there, the first in the United States,
and proclaimed the King of Spain as Monarch
of all of North America. Ribault, learning
of the landing of Menendez, started down the
coast to attack him, but his ships were
wrecked, many of his men drowned, and those
who reached the shore were either killed, or
were murdered by the Spaniards. In the
meantime Menendez marched overland to
Port Royal surprised the settlement, and mur-
dered all of them, about nine hundred in num-
ber. He erected a cross on the site of the
wholesale butchery and on it placed , an in-
scription that these men were slain, "not be-
cause they were Frenchmen but Lutherans."
And being in a particularly pious frame of
mind he laid the foundation for a church to
commemorate the, deed. When Charles of
France learned of the murder of his subjects,
matters at home were in such shape that he
could not avenge the insult, but a wealthy
Frenchman, Dominic de Gourges, fitted out a
ship at his own expense, and landed at Port
Royal with one hundred and fifty warriors,
captured the two hundred men left in charge
there, and hanged the whole party, he, too,
erecting a cross with the inscription : "I do not
this as unto Spaniards or Moors, but unto
traitors, robbers and murderers." His force
^yas too small to risk an attack on Ft. Augus-
tine, and being in dariger of being attacked by
the Spaniards at any moment, he had no time
ZALMON EOWSE
fif
-^^
ASA HOSFORD
The Father of Galion
^m*^.
SAMUEL NORTON
Founder of Bucyrus
MARY BUCKLIN NORTON
Wife of Samuel Norton
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
35
to even lay the foundation of a church, but
sailed immediately for home, leaving the
placarded Spaniards hanging to the trees as
an object lesson to the Indians of the new
and higher order of civilization.
From 1579 to 1585 settlements were made
by the English in Virginia and North Caro-
lina, but they were not permanent. In 1585
Sir Richard Grenville landed at the island of
Roanoke in Albermarle Sound. He treated
the Indians very badly and they returned the
compliment with interest. He was finally
compelled to return to England, which he did,
leaving fifteen men in charge. Two years
later, in 1587, John White went over with re-
inforcements, and found the colony aban-
doned, the men having been murdered by the
Indians.
White re-established the colony, and re-
versed the policy of Grenville, treating the In-
dians kindly and cultivating their friendship.
He induced Manteo, their chief, to become a
Christian, and baptised him. White further
pleased the Indians, and their Chief by invest-
ing him with the title of Lord of Roanoke,
with great formality and display, followed by
a feast to the Indians and presents. This was
the first — as well as the last — ^peerage ever cre-
ated in America. When White returned to
England he left behind his daughter, Eleanor
Dare, wife of Lieutenant Dare, one of his
officers. On August 18, 1587, there was born
to Lieutenant and Mrs. Dare, a daughter, and
she was named Virginia Dare, the first English
child born in what is now the United States.
In 1589 White again started for America but
was driven back by the Spaniards; however
in 1590 he returned to the colony only to find
it abandoned and all traces of the colonists
lost, and it was not until eighty years later the
English learned that their lost kindred had
been adopted by the Hatteras tribe, and be-
come amalgamated with the children of the
wilderness.*
In April, 1607 a settlement was made at
Jamestown, Virginia, composed almost en-
tirely of English "gentlemen" whose profligate
lives had left them in destitute circumstances
in England, and who only came to America
in a spirit of adventure, and the hope of re-
*EIlis. — People's Standard History of the United
States.
alizing a fortune in the new world without
work. The colony was an absolute failure,
dependent on the Indians for the necessaries
of life. Capt. John Smith, a man of great
force, later took charge of the colony and en-
deavored to instill a spirit of industry into
the men. He urged the cultivation of the
soil, but at the end of two years the two hun-
dred settlers had only forty acres under culti-
vation, and but for the Indians would have
starved. It was not until June, 1610, on the
arrival of Lord De La Warr, with a different
class of colonists, that a permanent and last-
ing settlement was established in Virginia.
In 1 61 3. the Dutch from Holland, settled
in New York City, calling it New Amster-
dam, honestly buying the land from the In-
dians for $24. On December 22, 1620, the
Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, with
forty-three men and their families. In 1629
a colony was founded in New Hampshire;
in 1633 ill Connecticut; in 1634 in Maryland;
in 1636 in Rhode Island; and in 1638 in Dela-
ware, all by the English. In 1623 the Swedes
founded a colony in New Jersey.
This settled the entire coast; New England
being English ; New York, Holland ; New Jer-
sey, Sweden; Delaware, Maryland and the
Carolinas, English; Georgia and Florida,
Spanish. The Dutch claimed New Jersey as
their territory, and forced the Swedes to
acknowledge their claims. But in 1682, when
William Penn made his settlement in Penn-
sylvania, the Swedes preferred English rule
to that of Holland, and in time they came
under the control of the English. Still later
the English took possession of New Amster-
dam calling it New York, which gave them
the entire coast, excepting Florida and South-
ern Georgia. The French were in undisturbed
possession of Canada.
While the English were colonizing and se-
curing possession of the coast line, the French,
through Canada, were exploring the interior,
passing through the states of Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, establishing
forts and trading posts, exploring the Missis-
sippi, and by virtue of their discoveries, all the
land west of the Alleghenies and north of the
Ohio river, was under the control of the
French; and beyond the Mississippi France
owned all the Mississippi Valley to the Rocky
36
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
Mountains; Spain owned Texas and all west
of the Rockies up to the northern boundaries
of California.
In 1763, after a long war between England
and France, the American colonies being Eng-
lish assisting the mother country, France was
driven from the United States and Canada,
all east of the Mississippi being ceded to Eng-
land; all her possessions west of the Missis-
sippi being ceded to Spain, and in this treaty
Spain ceded Florida to England. In 1783, at
the close of the Revolutionary war, England
secretly ceded Florida to Spain, and the
United States bought it in 1819. In 1801
Spain ceded her territory beyond the Missis-
sippi to France, and in 1803, Napoleon need-
ing money, and to prevent England ever secur-
ing it, sold it to the United States. The war
with Mexico gave the United States all west
of the Rocky Mountains, that part west of the
Rockies and north of California being claimed
by the United States by right of the discov-
eries of Lewis and Clarke, a daim disputed,
but conceded later by England and Spain in
the settlement of the northern boundary be-
tween the United States and Canada.
When Spain first discovered America she
claimed the entire continent, north and west
to the Pacific Ocean. The rulers of England
in graftting charters, followed the same liberal
policy, and their charters were for land be-
tween certain degrees of latitude on the coast,
extending to the Pacific Ocean.
CHAPTER III
INDIAN OCCUPANCY
Their Home on the Sandusky — Attacks on the Settlers — Crawford's Expedition — Character
of the Indians — Their Mode of Life — Their Aversion to Work — Failure of Attempts to
Enslave Them — Lack of Written Language — Their History Preserved by the Missionaries
— Indian Traditions Concerning Their Origin — The Various Tribes — Legends Concerning
a Previous Race — Division of the Country Among the Tribes — Origin of the "Five Na-
tions"— Conflict with the French and the Hurons — Sell Land to William Penn — Work of
the Franciscan Friars — Of the Jesuits — The Iroquois Make Treaties with the English and
Dutch — Their War with the Eries — Attack the Hurons in Canada — The Country Con-
trolled by Them — The Wyandottes and Ottawas — The French and Indian Posts at Mack-
inac and Detroit — The Foxes Attack Detroit — Are Routed and Almost Exterminated — ■,
The Tuscaroras Unite with the Five Nations Forming the "Six Nations" — The Wyan-
dottes in This Section — The Delawares in the Muskingum Valley — The Shawanese — In-
dian Raids into Pennsylvania and Virginia — Attacks on the White Settlers Whom They
Torture and Kill — The French Forts in Northwest Territory — The French and Indian
War — Washington Attacks the French — Braddock's Defeat — The Triumph of the Eng-
lish and Its Results — Pontiac's Attempt — Mistake of Ensign Faulty — His Capture and
Escape — The Murder of Pontiac — Gen. Bradstreet's Expedition — Battle of Point Pleas-
ant— Cornstalk — Simon Girty — The Revolution and Its Results — The Part Taken by the
Indians in the Revolutionary War — The English Trading-Post at Sandusky Where In-
dians were Paid for Scalps of White Settlers — Indian Attack on Ft. Henry — Bravery
of Elisabeth Zane — The Peaceful Moravian Indians Butchered by Col. Williamson —
Col. Crawford's Defeat and Tragic Death — End of the Revolution — Treaty of Ft. Mc-
intosh— Murder of Sha-tay-ya-ron-yah — Other Treaties — Battle of Fallen Timbers —
Boundaries — War of 1812 — Surrender of Gen. Hull — Harrison's Expedition — British
and Indian Attack on Ft. Meigs — Defense of Ft. Stevenson — Victory of Commodore
Perry — Battle of the Thames and Death of Tecumseh — British Defeated at New Or-
leans— End of the War.
Lo, the poor Indian, whose untutored mind
Sees God in clouds and hears him in the wind.
— Pope.
The only good Indian is a dead Indian. — Mark
Twain.
The Indians of the United States were a
race who had no written history. They were
principally forest wanderers, living on game
and fish, and what little grain the Indian
women cultivated, for no Indian warrior
would demean himself by labor. In the early
history of the country a brisk trade existed
by adventurers bringing colored men from
Africa and selling them to the early settlers
as slaves. The thrifty pioneers endeavored
to secure slave labor cheaper by capturing In-
dians, but in all the colonies where it was at-
tempted it proved a failure. The Indians
would not work, and although cruel and brutal
punishment was inflicted it was useless. The
Indians died under the lash rather than de-
grade themselves by manual labor. They had.
37
38
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
as stated, no written language, the Iroquois
being regarded as the most intelligent, as they
could count up to -one hundred, many of the
tribes being unable to definitely express num-
bers above ten.
Long before the hunter and the- trapper
wandered through the great northwest, the
Jesuit and Moravian missionaries, following
on the heels of the early discoveries, became
very friendly with the Indians. It is from
records left by these men, the principal infor-
mation of the Indians is obtained, but the early
history given by them is much of it legendary.
These missionaries learned from the older
men of the Lenni Lenape (Delawares) that
centuries previous their ancestors dwelt in the
far west, and slowly drifted toward the east,
arriving at a great stream, called the Namoesi
Sipee (Mississippi) or "river of fish." Here
they met the Mangwes (Iroquois) who had
drifted westward to the Mississippi, far to the
north, the Delawares having come east about
the centre of the United States. The country
east of the Mississippi was reported as being
inhabited by a very large race of men, who
dwelt in large towns along the shores of the
streams. These people were called the
Allegewi, and it was their name that was
given to the Allegheny river and mountains.
Their towns were strongly fortified by earth
embankments. The Delawares requested per-
mission of the Allegewi to establish them-
selves in their territory, but the request was
refused, although permission was given them
to cross the river, and go through their coun-
try to the east. When the Delawares com-
_tnenced crossing the river the Allegewi became
alarmed at their numbers, and fell upon them
in force and killed those who had crossed,
threatening the others with a like fate should
they attempt to pass the stream.
The legend indicates the Allegewi were not
of the Indian race but the Iroquois were.
The Delawares were indignant at the murder
of their braves and the treachery of the
Allegewi, so they took counsel with their
Iroquois brethren, and they formed a compact
to unite and drive the Allegewi beyond the
Mississippi, and divide the country. The war
lasted for years and great was the slaughter
on both sides, until finally the Indians con-
quered, and the Allegewi fled down the Mis-
sissippi, never more to return. The Iroquois
then took the country along the great lakes,
and the Delawares the country to the south.
The two nations remained peaceful for many
years, and the Delawares explored still further
and further to the east, until finally they es-
tablished their principal headquarters along
the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers. The
Iroquois covered the territory north of the
Delawares and along both shores of the St.
Lawrence. The Delawares, occupying land
from the Atlantic to beyond the Mississippi
river,- became divided into various tribes, but
they had grown in strength as the years
passed and far outnumbered the Iroquois.
Trouble arose between the two nations, and
they went to war. To overcome the superior-
ity in numbers of the Delawares the Iroquois
resorted to stratagem. An Indian tribe is one
family, and an injury done to one member is
avenged by the entire tribe. All tribes had
their war instruments marked with some pecu-
liar design, or totem. The Iroquois murdered
an Indian of one of the Delaware tribes and
left at the scene of the murder the war club
bearing the mark of another branch of the
Delawares. This caused war between the two
branches of the Delaware tribes. The
shrewd Iroquois soon had the Delawares hope-
lessly divided, fighting and killing each other.
The treachery of the Iroquois was discov-
ered and the Delawares called a grand coun-
cil, summoning their warriors from the Atlan-
tic to the Mississippi, with the intention of
utterly exterminating the Iroquois. Then was
formed by the Iroquois the Five Nations, or-
ganized by Thannawaga, an aged Mohawk
chief. It was an absolute alliance of the Mo-
hawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and
Senecas, a form of Republic in which the
leaders of the five nations consulted and acted
as one. Under this powerful organization the
Delawares were forced back to their own
lands.
The Five Nations having driven back the
Delawares turned their attention to the
French, who were forcing them south from
their hunting grounds on the St. Lawrence.
North of this river were the Hurons (Wyan-
dottes) and although of the Iroquois branch
of the Indians, yet they were now a separate
nation and at enmity. Although Cartier had
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
39
treacherously taken their chief to France on
his first visit, Champlain, nearly a century
later, had made friends with the Hurons and
when the Iroquois began resisting the French
inroads on their territory, Champlain or-
ganized the Hurons and made a raid on the
Iroquois in 1609, administering a crushing
defeat, the Hurons returning to Quebec with
fifty scalps. In 1610 another attack was
made on the Iroquois by Champlain and his
Huron allies, but they were driven back by the
Iroquois. The French now abandoned further
extensions to the south, and the Iroquois made
an onslaught on their ancient enemies, the
Delawares, and drove them from the Atlantic
westward to the AUeghenies.
It was land the Five Nations had taken
from the Delawares that they sold to William
Penn in 1682. The Iroquois as early as 1609
became the inveterate enemy of the French,
an enmity which continued with undiminished
hatred for a century and a half. So when the
French created this hatred by their attacks on
the Iroquois, this, and an admiration the west-
ern and northern Indians had for the French,
made them allies. The Hurons were not as
warlike as the Iroquois, but like all Indians
they took up the cause of any insult to any
member of their tribe. As a result the battles
between the Iroquois and the Hurons were
frequent, and they were ever inveterate ene-
mies. To balance the Five Nation league of
the Iroquois, the Hurons also united all that
branch of the Algonquins in the north and
west who were opposed to the Iroquois, the
principal nation of the confederation being the
Wyandottes.
After the French and Hurons had defeated
the Five Nations on Lake Champlain, they re-
mained quiet for some time. The Franciscan
friars had done much missionary work among
the Hurons and many had adopted the Cath-
olic faith, and with religion came a less war-
like spirit, and more cultivation of the soil.
With the Iroquois the missionaries could do
nothing, many losing their lives in the attempt.
The Jesuits followed the Franciscans, and
found a fruitful field of labor among the
Hurons. This was from 1625 on, and the en-
ergetic Jesuits soon supplanted all over the
west the quieter and less religiously -aggressive
Franciscans. The Jesuits established missions
and schools all along the northern border of
the lakes, at Detroit, through Indiana, Illinois
and Wisconsin, and along the Mississippi
from its source to New Orleans. It is to be
noted, however, that even these zealous Jesuits
in going from Quebec, on the St. Lawrence,
to Detroit, kept north of the lakes, as the
more convenient route by way of the Niagara
river and Lake Erie was controlled by the
ferocious Iroquois, whose implacable- hatred
of everything French had been started by
Champlain. It is but just to the Jesuits to
say some did visit the Iroquois, only to be
horribly treated, sometimes tortured and
burned at the stake; or, if allowed to return,
maimed for life. One faithful missionary
was sent home as a warning to others. The
fiendish Iroquois had made holes through the
calves of his legs; through these holes they
had placed reeds filled with gun-powder.
These were then set on fire, blowing the calves
of his legs to pieces. It is stated that later on
he again limped among them, and the Iroquois
who, with all their cruelty admired bravery,
let him alone. But he was the only French-
man who was allowed to preach to the
Iroquois. As the legend fails to state whether
he made any converts among the Iroquois, it
is probable he did not, much as they needed
religious teaching.
For nearly forty years the warlike Iroquois
remained quiet, except occasional marauding
expeditions against neighboring tribes and
treacherous attacks on the white settlers.
They had made a treaty of peace with the
New England settlers, and in 1648 made a
treaty with the Dutch of New Amsterdam.
Under this treaty the Dutch sold them arms
and ammunition, which, prior to this time, the
•Dutch had scrupulously refused to do. After
two-score years of rest a new generation had
sprung up, equally warlike and equally fear-
less, and they concluded to try their new
weapons on the Eries, another of the tribes of
the Huron combination. The Eries then oc-
cupied the southern shore of Lake Erie, in-
cluding the territory now embraced by
Crawford and adjoining counties. The Eries
were entirely unprepared and the victory was
so complete that the Eries never again became
prominent. This led to a war between the
Hurons and the Iroquois, and it raged with
40
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
undiminished fury for several years, until in
1659, the Iroquois crossed into Canada in
great force, above the French settlements, and
marched through the Huron territory, massa-
cring their enemies, burning their towns, de-
stroying the missions and murdering the
priests. The Hurons fled through lower Can-
ada, across the river at Detroit, and into upper
Michigan, and only found final refuge from
their insatiable foes on the southern shores of
Lake Superior, where the Chippewas came to
their defense and drove the Iroquois back.
The Iroquois were now in undisputed control
from the Atlantic to the Mississippi and from
the Lakes to the Ohio river.
In the Lake Superior region the bulk of the
Wyandottes and Ottawas (another of the
Huron branch) made their home for many
years, until two French priests arrived among
them, Jacques Marquette and Claude Deblon,
and began organizing them in the interest of
the French, and establishing a headquarters
for all the Indian allies of the French at Mack-
inac. This was in 1671, and here they re-
mained for thirty years. In 1701 Cadillac,
who had been in command of the French fort
at Mackinac, established a new post at Detroit,
which was called Fort Ponchartrain, later
changed to Detroit, a name it ever after re-
tained. When Cadillac moved to Detroit, at
his request most of the Indian allies accom-
panied him; they were joined by other In-
dians, and new tribal relations established,
and the Hurons took the name of their lead-
ing tribe, the Wyandots,* the name meaning
"Traders of the West."
The Wyandots were frequently attacked by
their old enemies, the Iroquois, but' the Indians
around Detroit were all united; they received
arms and ammunition from the French, and
when necessary the French soldiers fought
with them, and at the end of six years the
Iroquois were compelled to give up the strug-
gle and leave the French and Wyandots in
control of lower Michigan and Canada north
of Lakes Erie and Ontario.
But the shrewd Iroquois were not idle.
They instigated the Fox nation to make an at-
tack on the Detroit settlement. They chose ?
*The correct name was Wyandotte, but from
this date the name is given according to tlie modern
spelling.
time when the Wyandots were away on a
hunting expedition, early in May, 1712. Du
Buisson was then in command of Fort Pon-
chartrain, with only twenty-one men. He
sent runners out to notify the Indians to re-
turn. On the 13th an assault was made on
the Fort, but the Foxes and their allies were
held at bay. While the fight was going on the
Wyandots returned, and drove the Foxes into
the fort they had erected when they came to
capture the French settlement. The French
and Wyandots in turn attacked the enemy's
fort, but were unsuccessful. For nineteen
days the fighting continued, when the Foxes
were compelled to flee, and hurriedly built a
fortification a few miles north of Detroit.
Here they were attacked by the French and
their allies, the French bringing two small
cannon to bear on the enemy. The fighting
lasted three days more, when the Foxes were
utterly routed, the Wyandots, and their allies,
the Ottawas and Pottawatomies massacring
eight hundred men, women and children,
nearly wiping out the Fox nation, a few of
those remaining joining their friends,' the
Iroquois, and the remainder removing to
Wisconsin and the south shore of Lake Su-
perior, where they became as bitter enemies of
the French as were the Iroquois in the east.
It was this same year the Tuscaroras, driven
from North Carolina, came north and united
with the Iroquois and the confederation be-
came the Six Nations. While the battles at
Detroit intensified the anger of the Six Na-
tions and the Foxes against the French, it
gave the latter the strong friendship of the
Wyandots and all those Indians who sur-
rounded the French settlement, a friendship
which, to the credit of the Wyandots, they
faithfully maintained through all the varying
fortunes of war for the next half century,
and when, in 1763, the flag of France fell be-
fore the meteor flag of England, and the
French retired from American soil, for some
years after the treaty of peace between Eng-
land and France was signed, the Wyandots
with their western allies were at war against
the British.
The Wyandots now gradually extended
their hunting grounds along the southern
shore of L-ake Erie, the nearly half a century
of war of the Iroquois with the French hav-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
41
ing left that nation in so crippled a condition
that they never again appeared west of the
Alleghenies on a warlike expedition. The
Wyandots are known to have been in this
section as early as 1725, and, extending their
territory, were soon in control from Lake
Erie to the Ohio river. In 1740 the remnant
of the once famous Dela wares was driven
from Pennsylvania by the Six Nations and
by the advance" of the Pennsylvania colonists,
and the Wyandots gave them permission to
occupy the Muskingum Valley. A number of
the Shawanese also made their home along
the Scioto, and the Ottawas had land between
the Sandusky and the Maumee rivers, and
from here, as allies of the French, they fre-
quently made warlike excursions into Penn-
sylvania and Virginia, surprising the settlers
at dead of night, and massacring entire
families, men, women and children, and when
the expedition was in retaliation for some real
or fancied wrong, returning with the prison-
ers and holding a • war dance while the un-
fortunate captives were horribly tortured until
death alone relieved them of their suffering.
For a quarter of a century, from their
forest fastnesses on the Sandusky, they made
raids hundreds of miles distant, on the un-
suspecting stockade or lonely cabin, pillaged,
massacred and burned and were ofif again,
lost in the trackless woods, where it was im-
possible to follow them. There are remains
today of Indian trails all over the southern
portion of Crawford county, on which the
Indians stealthily marched in single file, to and
fro on their murderous expeditions. From
the lake at Sandusky to the Ohio river their
water route was up the Sandusky, across to
the Scioto and down that stream to the Ohio,
one of their portages being through the south-
west portion of Dallas township.
In 1755 all of the coast states were. British
colonies; the French were in control of all
west of the Alleghenies and north of the Ohio,
they had fortifications all along Lake Erie;
one at Fort Duquesne (Pittsburg) another
at Erie, Pennsylvania; at Detroit; two at the
mouth of the Sandusky, others in Indiana and
Illinois, and the Indians in all this great north-
west were their friends and allies. The French
claimed the territory, and justly, by right of
discovery; the English claimed through chart-
ers of British rulers, granted to companies
for so many miles along the Atlantic "and ex-
tending west to the Pacific ocean." The sec-
tion of the state where Crawford county is
located came under a charter granted Virginia,
this charter's northern line being the present
northern boundary of Crawford county. The
country from the northern boundary of Craw-
ford to Lake Erie was claimed under the
charter granted to Connecticut. England
further claimed Ohio from the fact that in a
treaty with the Iroquois (Six Nations) she
had bought of them all their territory north
of the Ohio river and west of the Alleghenies
to the Mississippi. While there is a dispute
as to whether the Six Nations ever did ex-
tend their conquests beyond the Cuyahoga
river, and whether the Six Nations ever did
own by conquest that part of Ohio where
Crawford county is situated, England always
recognized the claims of the Iroquois and the
Americans acquiesced.
In 1744, when the war occurred between
France and England, practically all the Indians
of the northwest gave their services to the
French. They attacked the frontiers of Penn-
sylvania and Virginia; some went down the
St. Lawrence, reported at Montreal, where
they were given arms and ammunition, and
attacked the settlers of New York, and even
extended their depredations across the Hud-
son to massacre settlers in far-off New Eng-
land. They were as loyal to their French
friends as they were bitter and implacable in
their hatred of the English and the Iroquois,
who, after a hundred years, were still the loyal
friends of the English. In 1745 a French
commandant's record in Canada shows the
number of Indians reporting for duty in the
war against England, among them the Wyan-
dots. Other records show that in one year at
least twenty of these blood-thirsty murdering
bands were sent out by the French, frequent
mention being made of the part taken by the
Wyandots in the wholesale butcheries which
followed in these bloody raids.
In 1748 a treaty was patched up between
England and France and comparative quiet
was maintained until 1754, but as the French
still remained in possession of the great north-
west, and England was determined to have
the territory, war again broke out. In the
42
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
spring of 1754 a company of French soldiers
from Fort Duquesne, while extending their
explorations southward, were attacked by
some Virginia rangers under Lieut. Col.
George Washington. A fight for the owner-
ship of the great northwest between the
French and English was so inevitable that
during the winter of 1754-5 England and the
colonies on the one side and the French on
the other organized for the coming struggle,
which commenced in 1755, and lasted for
seven long years, England and the extreme
eastern colonies marching to Canada, and the
Virginia and Pennsylvania militia joining with
the English soldiers in the battles in the north-
west.
In this section the war commenced with the
attempt of Gen. Braddock in command of the
English, and Col. George Washington in
command of the militia, to capture Fort
Duquesne, situated at the point where the
Allegheny and Monongahela unite to form
the Ohio. The French sent an army from
Detroit, and they were joined in their march
by the Wyandots, and through the forests and
over the plains of Crawford they hurried to
the battle ground. The Wyandots then were
the leading nation of the northwest, the most
numerous, and in bravery were the equals of
the Iroquois. They were a fighting nation,
every man a warrior, with their pride of brav-
ery raised to so high a pitch that not one ever
surrendered, and for more than half a century
to come it is doubtful if a single Wyandot was
ever captured. They were among the Indian
troops who were secreted in the woods and
poured the deadly fire on the ambuscaded
Americans and English. The French loss
was four killed, and the American and English
300. Among the slain was Gen. Braddock,
who had refused advice as to Indian warfare,
and who paid the penalty with his life, leav-
ing Washington in command to save what he
could from the slaughter.
The victory at Fort Duquesne excited the
Indians' thirst for blood, and nearly every
Wyandot warrior took to the war path. Along
the borders of Pennsylvania they left a trail
of death and desolation; they were with Mont-
calm in Canada, where the French were de-
feated; then on to Ottawa, which fell into
the hands of the British; returning to Fort
Niagara they received another repulse; every-
where the English and Americans were slowly
but surely driving back the French. Bravery,
endurance and fortitude were characteristic of
the Wyandots, but adversity they could not
stand. Their belief in French superiority was
becoming shattered, and by degrees they
drifted back to the banks of the Sandusky,
disappointed and discouraged, and took no
further hand in the struggle. It ended in
1763 when France relinquished Canada, and
all her possessions in the United States east
of the Mississippi to the English.
It is probably better for civilization that
the result was as it was, but when one reflects
that cold and calculating England had confined
her settlements to the easily reached shores of
the Atlantic, while the French for two hun-
dred years had explored the boundless forests,
navigated streams unknown, erected trading
posts, gone where the foot of the white man
had never trod, the opinion is almost inevitable
that although it was probably for the best, it
was not the right that triumphed. The French
had made all the explorations, experienced all
the hardships of travels in an unknown coun-
try; their explorers had suffered torture and
death in harmonizing the savage tribes, and
just as the land is ready for settlement, and
the harvest of her years of toil is reached,
England, by the force of arms, seizes the prize.
But why mourn for the French or criticise the
English. "For time at last sets all things
even," and justice, though slow, is sure, and
before England could reap the fruits of her
shrewdness, the American nation rose in its
might, as one man, and the Great Northwest,
stolen from the French, became free and in-
dependent, and later the garden spot of the
United States with today more than twenty
millions of people.
While the French were receiving their re-
verses, Pontiac an Ottawa chief (Huron
branch of the Indians) organized practically
all of the Indians of the northwest to seize
every English outpost, probably twelve in
number. In the Great Northwest they failed
only at Detroit, where the siege lasted for
many months, by which time the English had
regained their forts and relieved Detroit, and
peace was declared. In this peace Pontiac re-
fused to join, but retired with his Ottawas to
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
43
Illinois. The capture of the different forts
was arranged for May 7, 1763. The Wyan-
dots captured the Fort near the mouth of the
Sandusky. Here Ensign Paully was in com-
mand, and on May 16 he was approached by
seven Indians with a request for a conference.
He admitted them without hesitation, when
he was seized, bound and the fort captured,
the garrison being taken unawares. Nearly
all the garrison, eleven in number, were mas-
sacred and the fort was burned. Ensign
Paully being reserved for torture. He was
tied to the stake, and just as the fagots were
about to be fired an Indiaw squaw, whose hus-
band had been killed, claimed the prisoner to
take the place of her dead husband. Paully
consented, and was liberated, but at the first
opportunity made his escape, leaving the
widow doubly bereaved.
Pontiac in Illinois remained the inveterate
foe of the English, and in 1769 he was mur-
dered by an Illinois Indian. The Wyandots,
who had for some years been living quietly,
on learning the news, accompanied by the Ot-
tawas and other tribes marched to Illinois and
avenged the chief's death by the almost wip-
ing out of the Illinois tribe.
In 1764 Gen. Bradstreet, who was in com-
mand at Detroit, with a force of men
"ascended the Sandusky river as far as it
was navigable by boats." The point reached
was "probably the old Indian town of Upper
Sandusky on the river about three miles south-
east of the present town of Upper Sandusky.
Here a treaty of peace was made with the
chiefs and leading men of the Wyandots.
Among those who accompanied Gen. Brad-
street was Israel Putnam, then a major in
command of a battalion of Americans.
This peace was fairly observed until in
1774, the Wyandots, Shawanese, Delawares
and Mingoes made an attack on Point Pleas-
ant, where the Kanawha joins the Ohio.
They had a force of over a thousand war-
riors, under command of Cornstalk. General
Lewis was in command of Point Pleasant with
1,100 men. The fight continued all day the
English loss being two colonels, five captains,
three lieutenants and a hundred soldiers, be-
sides a hundred and forty wounded. The In-
dian loss must have been severe, as during the
night they retreated across the Ohio river and
returned to their homes. Just before the bat-
tle they were joined by Simon Girty, who
had been a scout for the English. He was an
efficient scout, but in some altercation with
Gen. Lewis, the latter struck him with a cane
over the head, inflicting a deep gash. Girty
threatened vengeance, and escaped from the
fort, joining the Indians, and in the attack on
the fort was as savage and bitter and cruel as
any Indian warrior could desire. He remained
with his new friends and ever after made his
home with the Shawanese, Delawares and
Wyandots. He declared he had foresworn his
white blood and assumed the garb of the In-
dians with their painted flesh and feathered
headdress.
After the Americans and English had suc-
ceeded in driving out the French in 1 763, Eng-
land for years pursued an -unjust policy toward
the colonies, which eventually culminated in
the Revolutionary war. In the east all manu-
factures which interfered with England were
prohibited or crippled by severe laws. All
goods must be bought in England ; all products
raised in America must be sold to England
alone, and forwarded on English vessels. The
English commercial policy also affected the
great Northwest, of which Crawford county
is a part. The French, by their -explorations,
and by their trading posts all over this great
territory had built up a large business in furs,
of which they had a monopoly. The English
merchants secured this trade, and it was so
vast and profitable they wanted it continued.
As a result they petitioned the King and Par-
liament : "It does appear to us that the exten-
sion of the fur trade depends entirely on the
Indians being undisturbed in the possession of
their hunting grounds, and that all colonizing
does, in its nature, and must, in its conse-
quences, operate to the prejudice of that
branch of commerce." So George Third is-
sued a proclamation declaring the new terri-
tory, the Great Northwest from the Ohio to
the Lakes and from the Alleghenies to the
Mississippi, royal domain, and prohibited fur-
ther settlement in this vast territory, or the
purchase of any part of it from the Indians.
This was in 1774, and the English statesmen,
forseeing a coming contest, attached this ter-
44
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
ritory to the Province of Quebec, and Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin
were a part of Canada.
Eight years later the Province of Quebec
was the danger point in the treaty of peace
between England and the United States. The
American commissioners were Benjamin
Franklin, John Adams, John Jay and Henry
Laurens. Their imperative instructions were
that the independence of the United States
must be recognized. Other matters were
minor. France had been the ally of the
United States and the treaty must be satis-
factory to that nation. France had received
from Spain practically all west of the Missis-
sippi river, and desired to have her rights
recognized by England. Spain was with
France, and the two secretly arranged with
England that the north boundary of the
United States should be the Ohio river, basing
the claim on the ground that the Great North-
west was a part of the Province of Quebec,
and there was no question that Canada was to
remain English territory. In the early part
of the treaty, while this agreement was not
definitely reached, matters were tending that
way. Franklin, as minister to France, con-
ducted the earlier negotiations, and later,
when John Adams and John Jay arrived, the
boundary came up. The English were insist-
ent; Vergennes, the French minister, favored
the English, until finally Adams and Jay posi-
tively declared they would submit to no bound-
ary except the lakes. Laurens and Franklin
stood by them solidly, and it was over a year
before England finally yielded the point, and
Ohio and the Great Northwest became a part
of the United States. England probably
thought the territory of far less importance
than it was, having relegated all that vast re-
gion to a great hunting ground, with no higher
conception of its future use than the protect-
ing and raising of fur bearing animals. How
different the views of John Jay, who speaking
of this territory in Congress in 1777, prophet-
ically said: "Extensive wildernesses, now
scarcely known or explored, remain yet to be
cultivated; and vast lakes and rivers, whose
waters have for ages rolled in silence to the
ocean, are yet to hear the din of industry, be-
come subservient to commerce, and boast de-
lightful villas, gilded spires, and spacious cities
rising on their banks."
On the breaking out of the Revolutionary
war, the Wyandots and their neighbors at
first saw no reason to take any hand in the
contest. In the east the British had secured
the assistance of the Six Nations, the Mo-
hawks being then the chief tribe, but by 1777
the English had succeeded in enlisting the
Wyandots and other Ohio tribes on their side,
and under British pay they made onslaughts
on the western borders of the colony, attack-
ing the' settlers in Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Many joined the British army, and a number
of Wyandots joined the army of Gen. Bur-
goyne, in New York state, but did little be-
yond burning a few houses of settlers, steal-
ing their stock and murdering a number of the
pioneers. In an excursion with BurgO)me
into New Hampshire, a number of Wyandots
were killed, and they blamed the British Gen-
eral for the loss, claiming the warriors were
needlessly sacrificed. This, and the fact that
Burgoyne endeavored to restrain their ferocity
and cruelty, disgusted the Wyandots, and most
of them returned to their home on the San-
dusky; but still under the pay of the English,
continued to harass the frontier, destroying,
burning and murdering. The English had a
trading-post at the Indian village of Sandusky,
where settlement was made, and at this point
nearly all the Indian tribes were paid for the
scalps taken.
Their first expedition was in 1777. The
renegade Girty Avas thoroughly conversant
with affairs along the Ohio river, and at his
suggestion five hundred warriors, Delawares,
^^'yandots and Shawanese, started on an ex-
pedition against Fort Henry, near where
Wheeling now is, on the Ohio river. The
British had supplied them with arms and am-
munition, and the Indians made their way
through the dense forests, along their trails,
crossed the Ohio and surrounded the fort
with its garrison of forty men, and a number
of women and children. Col. David Shep-
pard was in command, and rumors had
reached the fort that five hundred warriors
had started from the Sandusky region on some
murdering expedition, destination unknown
On the evening of September 26, 1771, settlers
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
45
reported Indians in war paint had been seen
lurking in the neighborhood. Cabins were
abandoned, and all sought safety in the fort.
Col. Sheppard sent out two men to recon-
noitre; one was killed and the other returned
to the fort wounded ; the Colonel then sent out
fourteen men, and as they were proceeding
cautiously down the river they fell into an
ambush, and eleven were instantly killed, the
others escaping in the dense forest. Hearing
the firing, the Colonel sent twelve more men
to relieve the imperiled party; eight of these
were promptly killed. The fighting force in
the fort was now reduced to a dozen men.
The Indians made constant attacks, but were
as constantly driven back. It was during this
engagement that, when the powder gave out,
Elizabeth Zane bravely went to the storehouse,
sixty yards away, and brought back the
powder in safety. She volunteered for this
service, saying that no man could be spared
for this perilous trip under the direct fire of
the enemy. Night coming on, the Indians re-
tired until morning. During the night a dozen
men arrived from a neighboring settlement,
and succeeded in gaining entrance to the fort.
In the morning forty more rangers arrived,
and the Indians, now regarded it as useless to
continue their assault on the fort. They
therefore destroyed everything they could, set
fire to the houses, and killed or carried off
three hundred head of cattle. They had killed
twenty-one men, with several others wounded.
Their own loss, however, was over a hundred.
They returned to Sandusky with twenty-one
scalps for which cash was paid by the British
agent.
While the Wyandots were allies of the Eng-
lish, as well as the other tribes of Ohio, on an
eastern branch of the Muskingum in Tuscara-
was county were several hundred Moravian
Indians, of the Delaware tribe, who con-
stantly refused to take part in the war; they
had become Christian Indians, had three set-
tlements in Tuscarawas county, and had
cleared considerable land, devoted their time
, mostly to farming and kept up constant busi-
ness relations with the Americans at Pittsburg,
about sixty miles distant, which was the head-
quarters of the American forces in the west.
They refused all the overtures and bribes of
the British. Finally, in the fall of 1781, Col.
Elliott, of the British forces, who was sta-
tioned at Upper Sandusky, took with him two
chiefs and three hundred warriors, and
marched to the Moravian settlements, their
route being through Crawford, crossing the
Sandusky at a point one mile south of the
Tod township line, and passing through Bucy-
rus township in the direction of New Win-
chester and in a southeasterly direction toward
the Kilbuck in Holmes county and on to the
Tuscarawas settlements. The three Moravian
towns, all on the Tuscarawas river, were
Schonbrunn, two miles south of the present
town of New Philadelphia, seven miles fur-
ther south was Gnadenhiitten and five miles
further Salem.
On reaching the Moravians the Indians
urged their brethren to stand by them in their
war against the Americans; the English Col-
onel offered them presents, but the Moravians
stood firm. Failing in peaceful persuasions
the Indians insisted they should accompany
them to the banks of the Sandusky, claiming
they were too near Pittsburg, and the Wyan-
dots were afraid they might ally themselves
with the detested Americans. Expostulations
were useless and the peaceful Moravians were
forced to leave their crops ungathered, and
accompany their captors in the long and weary
march to the banks of the Sandusky. The
Moravians were taken to Sandusky and from
there their missionaries were sent to Detroit as
prisoners. Some writers place the Moravian
winter quarters on the river southwest of Bucy-
rus, but Butterfield fixes it near the old Indian
town, three miles southeast of the present
town of Upper Sandusky. Here they passed
the winter, suffering great hardships, as the In-
dians make no provision for the future, and
the addition of several hundred to the Indian
villages along the Sandusky was beyond their
means of support. After a severe winter a
number were allowed to return to their villages
to gather the crops of the fall previous. About
one hundred and fifty of them, men with their
wives and children, made the journey to their
former homes, and resumed their work on the
clearings, dividing their force so as to look
after all three of the villages.
While the Moravians had spent the winter
suffering on the banks of the Sandusky the
Wyandots had not been idle, but had made
46
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
maurading expeditions on the settlers of Penn-
sylvania and Virginia, with their usual burn-
ing and killing. The settlers of the upper Ohio
and the Monongahela determined to admin-
ister a lesson that would be a warning to the
Indians, and a corps of a hundred mounted
men was organized, and under command of
Col. Williamson started for the Moravian
towns. They knew the Moravians had spent
the winter on the Sandusky, the point where
all the brutal, murdering expeditions were or-
ganized; they knew they had again returned
to their villages on the Tuscarawas. In what
follows, the most lenient might concede they
did not know the peaceful Indians had been
taken there against their will, but this is not
borne out by history. The rangers under Wil-
liamson reached Gnadenhiitten after a forced
march of two days, and at this village found
the Indians gathering corn on the west bank
of the Tuscarawas. A boat was secured and
sixteen of the men crossed the river, but found
more Indians there than they had expected.
Then the rangers certainly learned their visit
to Sandusky had been an enforced one, for
they sympathized with them for the cruel
treatment they had received and assured them
of their friendship and that they had come
to see in what way they could protect the
Moravians. They further assured them that
another expedition would come from the San-
dusky region, and they would again receive
the same cruel treatment, and that their friends
at Pittsburg had advised them to go to that
place where they would receive protection.
Knowing the settlers of Pittsburg had always
treated them with the greatest friendship, and
being Christian Indians, they did not doubt
what the men told them, and placed themselves
under their protection. The trusting Indians
also sent a messenger down the river to the
village of Salem to notify the Indians there
of the kindness of their new-found friends,
urging them to join them at Gnadenhiitten.
They crossed the river with the rangers and
gave their guns into their hands, after which
they were ordered into houses and a guard
placed around them.. Col. Williamson sent a
party of men down the river to the village of
Salem, but on the way they met the Salem
Moravians coming up the river to join their
brethren at Gnadenhiitten. The Salem In-
dians arrived and they, too, were deceived into
giving up their arms after which they were
imprisoned. Col. Williamson then called a
council of war, and put the question for the
men to decide, as to whether the Indians should
be taken as prisoners to Fort Pitt (Pittsburg)
or whether they should be put to death. There
were eighteen who favored the minor outrage
of carrying them away as prisoners and eighty-
two voted for immediate death.
James Patrick, Esq., of New Philadelphia,
wrote an interesting history of the Moravian
Missions in Tuscarawas county. From this
work the following account of the horrible
scene is taken: "In the majority, which was
large, no sympathy was manifested. They re-
solved to murder — for no other word can ex-
press the act — the whole of the Christian In-
dians in their custody. Among these were
several who had contributed to aid the mis-
sionaries in the work of conversion and civili-
zation. Two of them had emigrated from
New Jersey after the death of their spiritual
pastor, the Rev. David Brainerd. One woman,
who could speak good English, knelt before
the commander and begged his protection.
"The supplication was unavailing. They
were ordered to prepare for death. But
the warning had been anticipated. Their firm
belief in their new creed was shown forth
in this sad hour of their tribulation, by relig-
ious exercises of preparation. The orisons of
these devout people were already ascending to
the throne of the Most High. The sound
of the Christian's hymn and the Christian's
prayer found an echo in the surrounding
woods, but no responsive feeling in the bosoms
of their executioners. With gun, and spear,
and tomahawk and scalping knife, the work
of death progressed in these slaughterhouses,
till not a sigh or moan was heard to proclaim
the existence of human life within. All per-
ished save two. Two Indian boys escaped as
by a miracle, to be witnesses in after times of
the savage cruelty of the white man toward
their unfortunate race.
"After committing their cruel and cowardly
act, the buildings containing the mutilated
bodies of the murdered Indians were set on
fire, and the flames of the heavy logs soon re-
duced to crumbling ashes all that remained of
the Christian Indians."
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
47
Dr. Doddridge pays a beautiful tribute to
the Christianity of the Moravians when he
writes: "They anticipated their doom, and
had commenced their devotions with hymns,
prayers and exhortations to each other to place
a firm reliance upon the mercy of the Saviour
of men. When their fate was announced to
them these devoted people embraced and kissed
each other, and bedewing each others faces
and bosoms with their tears asked pardon of
their brothers and sisters for any offense they
might have committed through life. Thus, at
peace with God, and each other, they replied
to those who, impatient for the slaughter, de-
manded whether they were ready to die, that
'having commended their souls to God, they
were ready to die.' "
Having reduced to ashes all traces of their
inhuman act, the men started up the river for
Schonbrunn to murder the Moravians there,
but the Christian savages had learned of the
sad fate of their companions and fled to the
forest, and were beyond pursuit. The num-
ber murdered was ninety-six; of these sixty-
two were grown persons, about forty-two men
and twenty women; the remaining thirty-four
were children. A few of the men who looked
as if they might be warriors were taken from
the slaughter house and brained with toma-
hawks. Most of these quietly knelt down,
and while offering up prayers to God, received
the fatal blow. But one attempted to escape,
and he soon fell dead with five bullets through
his body. These outside dead were placed in
the slaughter-houses and burned with the rest.
One hundred and fifty years previous when
Menendez murdered the Huguenot Christians
on the Atlantic coast he tarried on the site of
his crime long enough to lay the foundation of
a church to commemorate his act. It was prob-
ably through inadvertence Col. Williamson
overlooked this beautiful finishing touch of
piety !
It was only a part of the Moravians who
had been murdered; the larger number were
still on the banks of the Sandusky, and to this
same retreat fled the fifty Christian Moravians
who had escaped from Schonbrunn. Imme-
diately on Williamson's return, arrangements
were made for a new expedition to go to the
fountain-head of all the trouble — the head-
quarters on the Sandusky — and administer a
blow that would leave the settlers in peace.
The massacre of the Moravians took place May
3, 1702, and on May 7 the decision was
reached to attack Upper Sandusky, the seat
of the Wyandots, not that the Wyandots alone
were guilty of all the murdering and mas-
sacreing, butchering and scalping of the un-
fortunate settlers and their families, but be-
cause Upper Sandusky was the headquarters
of the Wyandots, Ottawas, Delawares, and
Shawanese, and here was their rendezvous,
where they gathered to start on their raids.
Volunteers to the number of 480 were secured,
all mounted and well armed, all from two or
three counties south of Fort Pitt. Monday,
May 20, was the time set for their assembling
and the place chosen was Mingo Bottom, on
the west bank of the Ohio, about seventy-five
miles below Pittsburg, and about two miles
below the present city of Steubenville. They
began assembling on the 21st, and on the 24th
the last man had reported. A vote was taken
as to who should command the expedition,
and Col. William Crawford received 235 votes,
and Col. David Williamson, who had com-
manded the expedition against the Moravians,
230. Col. Crawford was therefore selected
as commander with Col. Williamson as senior
major, and second in command. Among the
troops was Robert Sherrard, grandfather of
Rev. J. H. Sherrard, who was for many years
pastor of the Presbyterian church at Bucyrus.
Of the troops 320 were from Washington
county, Pennsylvania, 130 from Westmore-
land county, Pennsylvania, 20 from Ohio
county, Virginia, and 10 from various local-
ities. Besides the two commanding officers
there were three other Majors, Gladdis, Mc-
Clelland and Bunton, with Daniel Leet as
brigade major, and Dr. John Knight as sur-
geon. John Slover and Jonathan Zane accom-
panied the expedition as guides. There were
eighteen companies, the captains, as far as
known, being McGeehan, Hoagland, Beeson,
Munn, Ross, Ogle, Briggs, Craig, Ritchie, Mil-
ler, Bean, and Hood.
The Williamson expedition against the Mo-
ravians was a private affair of the settlers.'
The expedition against the Wyandots was a
government affair, under direction of Gen.
Irvine, who commanded the western depart-
ment of the United States and Lieut. Rose,
48
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
a member of his staff, accompanied the expedi-
tion as' his representative. The Indians were
assisting the English by their constant attacks
in the west, necessitating the keeping on the
border for protection a large force which
otherwise could have been utilized in the war
against England. The attack on the Wyan-
dot village was in reality an expedition of the
Revolutionary war, to destroy a post which
for years had been the Indian headquarters
of the British government; a place which had
been and was the gathering point of all In-
dian expeditions against the colonies; the vil-
lage where the Indians of northwestern Ohio
repaired to receive their arms and ammuni-
tion from the British, and to receive pay for
services rendered, the pay being based on the
number of scalps turned over to the British
agent at Upper Sandusky. From these In-
dian villages came the stories of cruel deaths
inflicted on their unfortunate captives. For,
while it seems sickening and saddening that
men, women and children were murdered on
these expeditions, in many of them a few of
the stronger captives were taken back alive,
divided among the different villages, and died
with all the prolonged agony to the sufferer
that devilish ingenuity could devise. But in
these tortures the Wyandots took no part;
they murdered and scalped their prisoners, but
burning at the stake had been abandoned years
previous. The Delawares and Shawanese were
the torturers.
At Gnadenhiitten the vote to murder peace-
ful Christian Indians was eighty-two ; the vote
for mercy being eighteen, and a deed was con-
summated so despicable and so dastardly that
the civilized world for over a century has
blushed with shame that honest, conscientious,
law-abiding Christian men should place so foul
a stain on civilization. In this every reader
of this work will coincide. But who cast those
eighty-two votes? Men whose grey-haired
fathers had been cruelly murdered; men who
had returned to their peaceful homes only to
find their wives butchered, almost beyond rec-
ognition, and lying welterin'g in blood, bleed-
ing and scalpless, on their hearthstones ; to find
even the innocent babes at the mothers' breasts
scalped and butchered. While in their minds
was the knowledge of the death by the Indians
of a father or a son, a brother or a friend,
who had first run the gauntlet, that Indian
"free for all" in which every villager took a
part; the long line down which the naked cap-
tive must pass, starting with the children and
squaws with their whips and clubs, administer-
ing blows to the flying victim; then past the
younger men, and finally brave warriors with
knives and tomahawks so skilfully used as to
administer blows that would cut and wound
but not kill; and on and on, cut, carved and
covered with blood, to sink exhausted at the
Council-house door. To be cared for? No!
This Meeding remnant of a man was some-
times scourged and beaten still, and thrown
into some guarded hut to await the morrow,
when the poor sufferer was dragged forth to
furnish what further amusement the strength
of his constitution would stand. Commencing
at the less vital parts, skilful savages took
strips of skin from his legs and arms, and
sometimes nearly half the body was laid bare
before suffering nature could stand no more
and death relieved him of his sufferings. At
the stake the fire was fiendishly built so far
away that the torture was prolonged for hours,
the ears, fingers and toes cut off, the fiends
previously pulling the nails out by the roots,
yelling with delight at the suffering of the tor-
tured victims. Every horror the inventive mind
of the savage could think of was practiced.*
*John Leith was a prisoner and storekeeper among
the Indians from 1763 until he made his escape in 1791.
During the Revolution he kept a store at Upper San-
dusky, employed by the British. In his biography,
written by his grandson, Judge George W. Leith, is
his description of the first "Running of the Gauntlet"
he witnessed: "One fine day in early summer a band
of warriors came in from the south with a captive, a
powerful young Virginian. He had been overpowered
and captured in a hand-to-hand struggle. I saw him
stripped for the race, and thought him as fine a speci-
men of a man as I ever saw. His action was unim-
paired, the only wound perceivable being a long gash
on the fleshy part of his thigh, which, though consid-
erably swelled, did not impede his motion. He was
stripped naked and painted black for the race at my
store. Two lines of Indians were formed, extending
back from the store about two hundred yards. He was
marched back through the lines in a southerly direc-
tion, the savages panting and yelling for the onset.
Poor fellow! he stepped with the elasticity of a race-
horse, confidently believing that if he succeeded in the
race his life would be spared. But his doom was
sealed, and this was but the opening scene in the hor-
rible tragedy. The warriors were armed with guns
loaded with powder to be shot into his naked body,
the boys were armed with bows and arrows, and the
squaws and children with clubs and switches. No one
was allowed to strike or shoot until the victim was
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
49
All these horrible acts of the Indians were
known to have been visited upon the relatives
of the men who had accompanied Williamson,
and anger and revenge were a stronger motive
than right and justice. Williamson should
have prevented it, but while today every reader
of this history can justly shudder and denounce
the brutal murder of the Moravians, the fact
remains that if every reader had been on the
banks of the Tuscarawas at the time, knowing
what these men knew, having suffered as these
men had suffered, when the vote for life or
death came, the proportion would have been
the same. No one can endorse the needless,
inhuman murder of the innocent Moravians,
but the perpetrators of the dastardly deed had
minds at the time inflamed by the cruelties in-
flicted on themselves and their relatives by
other Indians. In this modern day those at a
distance from the crime can well shudder and
denounce the burning at the stake of the brute
who has ruined and murdered an innocent girl
in the southland, but were the matter to come
home to them direct, how many fathers, with
the brutal act fresh in the memory, would lift
a finger to stay the hand that fires the funeral
pyre? Would there be even eighteen out of
eighty-two ?
It was Saturday morning. May 25, 1782,
the expedition started for the Sandusky
Plains, about 150 miles distant, but to avoid
the Indian trails, so the savages would have
no knowledge of the attack, their course was
through the unbroken forest, to the Tusca-
rawas, on the banks of which were the de-
stroyed Moravian towns, and it took them
four days to cover the sixty miles, although
Williamson's men, over the traveled route, had
made it m two days when on their mission of
opposite to where he stood, so that the speed of the
runner^might not be impeded or checked by a front
fire. The word was given, 'All ready, go !' and sim-
ultaneously a yell went up all along the line from the
savages, who were eager to inflict the severest punish-
ment upon the helpless captive. The young fellow
came through the lines with astonishing swiftness, and
ran into the store where I was. He was covered with
ragged and gaping wounds made by the discharge of
powder and the tomahawks, and the arrows stuck out
from his blackened body like the shafts of a clothes-
rack. He gave me a most imploring look, as if he ex-
pected me to help him, and suddenly sprang high in the
air as if in terrible agony. He turned and went out at
the door, when he was brained with a tomahawk and
fell to the around with his last despairing groan."
murder. They encamped at the ruined town
of Schonbrunn, and two officers, reconnoiter-
ing, saw in the distance two Indian warriors,
who had been spying on their movements. It
was now believed the Indians would have full
knowledge of their expedition, and Crawford
determined to press on as rapidly as possible.
They started on a forced march through the
wilderness of Holmes county, and the night
of May 30 encamped about ten miles south
of the present site of Wooster, just south of
the Wayne county line. From here they went
almost due west, passing north of Odell's lake,
and on to the Mohican, following up the river
until near where Mansfield now is they turned
west and encamped on June ist at Spring
Mills, eight miles east of Crestline. The next
day, June 2, about one o'clock, they entered
Crawford county just north of where Crest-
line now is and continued west to the San-
dusky river at the mouth of a small creek
called Allen's Run, near the present town of
Leesville. The Sandusky river was the point
for which the guides were aiming and the offi-
cers, pleased at reaching this destination, called
a halt for an hour. They had reached the
river south of the Wyandot trail, which the
Indians used on their excursions from the
Sandusky towns east to Pittsburg. In the last
five days they had made eighty-five miles, and
the guide, Slover, told Crawford they were
now about twenty-five miles due east of the
Indian town, and that a little to the southwest
there were extensive plains reaching to their
destination. After nine days of slow and diffi-
cult marching through an unbroken forest,
they decided to make for the open plains,i' so
they followed the south bank of the Sandusky,
two or three miles, to about the center of
section 12, of Jefferson township. Here the
Sandusky bends to the north and they left the
river and, going southwest, encamped for the
night in the southwestern part of Jefferson
township, on the eastern edge of the plains.
Early on the morning of June 3rd they en-
tered the plains, and the open sunlight, after
the long and dreary march through the dense
woods, was a pleasing relief to all. Their
course was now west through Whetstone and
Bucyrus townships, passing about four miles
south of Bucyrus, to an Indian trail skirting
the west side of the Sandusky; they followed
50
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
this trail through southwestern Bucyrus town-
ship and through Dallas, into what is now An-
trim township, Wyandot county, and made
their final encampment near the present town
of Wyandot, within ten miles of their destina-
tion.
On the morning of June 4th they started
along the south bank of the Sandusky, follow-
ing its course in a northwest direction for six
miles where the mouth of the Little Sandusky
was reached. Here they crossed the Sandusky,
following the trail along the east bank which
leads to the Indian towns, and they soon
reached the old Indian town of Sandusky, on
the east bank of the river, about three miles
southeast of the present town of Upper San-
dusky. The town was deserted. The guide
Slover said that when he was a captive of the
Miamis, he frequently visited the Wyandots
and this was their principal town. The offi-
cers and guides were astonished and a halt
was called. The volunteers feared a mistake
had been made and that there was no village
short of Lower Sandusky (Fremont) forty
miles down the river, through a section known
to be covered by roving bands of Indians, for
they were now in the heart of the Indian coun-
try.
It was one o'clock when Crawford ordered
the halt; he called his officers into consulta-
tion. This lasted an hour. Slover said eight
miles further down the river was another In-
dian town, and in his opinion the Indians had
made that their headquarters. Crawford
feared they might find this also deserted and
there was danger in their getting too far into
the Indian country with but five days' of pro-
visions left. It was decided to move forward
in search of the Indians. The army crossed
the river to the west side, continued along the
trail up the west bank to the site of the pres-
ent town of Upper Sandusky; they continued
a mile further, with no sign of Indians and
the troops became anxious, and for the first
time expressed a desire to return home. Craw-
ford promptly called a halt and a council of
war. Col. Crawford and Guide Zane both
favored an immediate return, as further pro-
gress was dangerous, and the final decision
was made to continue that day and if no In-
dians were discovered they would return.
The march was continued, and the troops had
gone but a short distance, when one of the
light-horse scouts, who in the open prairie
were generally a mile in advance, returned at
full speed announcing the Indians were in front
of them. The volunteers were now enthusi-
astic and the whole army moved forward
rapidly.
The Indians had kept trace of the army ever
since it had left Mingo Bottom, and had sent
warriors to the Shawanese, in the Miami valley,
and to the Wyandots and Delawares, on the
Sandusky, to prepare for an attack. The va-
rious tribes gathered and when Crawford left
the Tuscarawas, in a northwesterly direction,
it was known the Sandusky Indians were the
objective point. Pomoacan, Wyandot chief,
sent special messengers to Detroit, notifying
DePeyster, the English commandant at that
point, of the intended attack. DePeyster acted
promptly, and started Butler's rangers, a
mounted troop, to Lower Sandusky (Fre-
mont) by boats to assist their allies; special
messengers were also sent by the Wyandots
to the Shawanese on the Miami, and two hun-
dred warriors started on their march of forty
miles from Logan county to help their breth-
ren. In the meantime the Delawares, under
Pipe, had .assembled three hundred warriors
at his town on both sides of the Tymochtee,
about one and a half miles northeast of the
present town of Crawfordsville, Wyandot
county, near the place now marked by the
monument erected on the site where Col.
Crawford was burned at the stake.. Zhaus-
sho-toh was the Wyandot war chief, and the
village of Pomoacan, the "Half King," was
five miles northeast of Upper Sandusky, in
Crane township, on the Sandusky river. Here
he had four hundred warriors.
The Americans had advanced about two
miles north of Upper Sandusky, and were one
mile west of the river, when they met the
enemy, the Delawares being in the front line
of battle, under Pipe, his assistants being the
renegade Simon Girty and Chief Wingenund,
the latter having joined the Delawares from
his village about two and a half miles north-
west of the present site of Crestline. The
Delawares had taken posession of a small
grove called an "island," and from this they
were promptly driven by the Americans. The
Wyandots under Zhaus-sho-toh, with whom
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
53
was the British Captain Elliott, came to the
support of the Delawares. Elliott took com-
mand of both tribes, and the Delawares occu-
pied the west and south sides of the grove,
and the Wyandots the north and east. The
grove was surrounded by a prairie of tall
grass, high enough to be some protection to
the Indians, while the Americans had the bet-
ter of it by the protection of the grove. The
firing began at four o'clock, and the battle
lasted until dark. As the Indians exposed
themselves when skulking through the grass
they were picked off by the American sharp-
shooters. Some of the borderers from the
tree-tops had a better opportunity of detect-
ing the savages. One of these Daniel Canon, an
expert rifleman, remarked afterward: "I
don't know how many I killed, but I never
saw the same head again above the grass af-
ter I shot at it." Toward sunset the Indians
became more cautious. The day closed de-
cidedly favorable to the Americans; their loss
was five killed and nineteen -wounded. Indian
losses were never known, but their killed and
wounded far exceeded the Americans. Al-
though the Americans were in full possession
of the field, the Indians were not dispirited.
Desultory firing was resumed at six o'clock
in the morning and continued until noon, the
Americans believing the Indians had not re-
covered from their defeat of the day previous,
and plans were discussed by the Americans to
attack the enemy in force ; the Delawares were
drawn up south of them and the Wyandots
north.
Before the plan of attack was matured, a
sentinel reported mounted troops coming from
the north ; they proved to be Butler's rangers,
sent by DePeyster from Detroit, and a few
minutes later another sentinel reported the ar-
rival of two hundred Shawanese from the
south; during the late afternoon additional
small detachments of Indians were continually
arriving. The council of war now unani-
mously decided on a retreat that night. About
nine o'clock the retreat started and by a cir-
cuitous march to the west passed around the
Delawares and Shawanese south of them,
reaching the old town of Upper Sandusky,
three miles southeast of the present county
seat of Wyandot county, just before daylight.
Here a halt was called and stragglers kept con-
stantly arriving, but Col. Crawford, Dr.
Knight and John Slover the guide, and many
others were missing.
The command now devolved on William-
son, and his force numbered about three hun-
dred. After a short rest the army went south
along the east bank of the Sandusky, crossed
the river at the mouth of the Little Sandusky,
and then east, skirting the southern bank of
the river. They were again on the Sandusky
Plains, and when they reached where the town
of Wyandot now is, they saw in the distance
a large force of mounted Indians and Butler's
rangers following in pursuit. They were a
dozen miles from the woods on the eastern
boundary of the plains, where alone lay safety.
Their horses had had two days' rest at San-
dusky during the battle, but the eleven days
previous marching, and the long night ride
had left both man and horses in a jaded con-
dition. They were also hampered by their
wounded. Yet Col. Williamson urged his
troops forward with all possible speed ; he was
ably assisted by Lieut. Rose, the military
genius of the expedition. The latter was an
aide-de-camp of Gen. Irvine, the commander
of the Revolutionary forces at Pittsburg, and
had been attached to Col. Crawford's staff for
this expedition. He was as fearless and brave
as he was able and efficient, and to him, more
than any other man, was due the successful
retreat.*
The retreating column left the Sandusky
at Wyandot, and started northeast across the
plains. Passing through Dallas into Bucyrus
township they crossed what is now the Marion
road about a mile north of the Dallas town-
ship line, and a little before noon crossed what
is now the Sandusky pike two miles north of
*John Rose was known among the Americans as
Major Rose. After the Revolutionary War was over
he returned to his own country, Russia, and Gen. Irvine
received many letters from him, in which he gave his
true history. His name was not John Rose, but Gus-
tavus H. de Rosenthal, of Livonia, Russia, and he was
a baron of the empire. In an encounter with another
nobleman within the precincts of the palace at St.
Petersburg, he had killed his antagonist in a duel. He
fled to England, where he sailed immediately to America
to offer his sword in defense of the colonies in their
struggle for freedom. During his absence his relatives
secured his pardon from the Emperor Alexander, and
permission for him to return, which he did, and be-
came Grand Marshal of Livonia. Baron Rosenthal died
in 1830.
54
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
the Dallas township line, and about three miles
south of Bucyrus.* Before they had reached
the Sandusky Pike, the faster mounted men
of the enemy had overtaken the fleeing col-
umn, and were harrassing them with occa-
sional shots. As more and more of the enemy
came up and scattered along the flanks of the
marching column the firing became more se-
vere, and it required all the skill and encour-
agement of Col. Williamson and Lieut. Rose
to prevent the demoralization of the troops,
and to preserve the column in solid marching
order. The woods and safety were still six
miles away; they were in an open prairie
rapidly being surrounded by double their num-
ber of infuriated savages from whom they
could expect no mercy, and the weary col-
umn struggled on. About two o'colck they
were within a mile of the woods; on both sides
and at the rear were hundreds of the enemy,
pouring in a galling fire, and the rear guard
was in confusion; the Indians had pressed for-
ward and were seeking to bar their entrance
to the woods, and the troops in advance, showed
signs of wavering. Williamson urged them
to stand firm, stating: "Not a man of you
will reach home if each one decides to shift
for himself. Youi" only salvation is keeping
in line. Our ranks once broken, all is lost."
The danger of the demoralization of the troops
became so great that a stand had to be made.
A point was selected where there is a slight
rise in the ground in the northeast quarter of
Section 22 in Whetstone township.!
The troops had crossed what is now the
Gallon road a little west of where the monu-
ment now stands marking the site of the bat-
tle, which really occurred a little north of
where this monument was placed. A body of
light horse troops was thrown forward to pro-
tect the entrance to the woods, the little army
was reversed, and facing to the west hurriedly
formed into solid rank to resist the attacking
foe. Fortunately for the Americans, in their
haste to pursue the retreating troops, the Brit-
ish had left their artillery behind. During the
*Locations are given as they exist today. In 1782
this county was a wilderness, covered with forests,
prairies and swamps.
tButterfield. — Crawford's campaign against San-
dusky. The west half of this quarter section is
owned (1912) by J. B. Campbell; its east half by
Sarah R. Lust.
morning march through the dry prairie a
scorching sun had added to the discomforts
of the tired troopers, but toward noon a
breeze had sprung up, and the sky became
overcast with clouds, and when the halt was
made a storm was threatening. Having hur-
riedly formed in battle line, the Americans
awaited the assault, and six hundred painted,
yelling savages, with their British allies,
charged tfe^m in front and on both flanks.
Rose rode down the line, unmindful of the
hail of bullets pouring in, urging the men to
stand firm, to aim true, and to see that every
shot brought down a man. The first attack
was repulsed, the line was unbroken and the
Americans regained confidence, and the sec-
ond attempt to break their lines was another
failure. Then Indian caution prevailed, and
under protection of the high grass they con-
tinued their attack, until the threatening storm
broke forth, and both armies were drenched
to the skin, rendering most of the fire-arms
useless. The battle had continued for an hour
when the severe rain caused a cessation of hos-
tilities. The Americans had suflFered a loss
of three killed and eight wounded, among the
latter was Capt. Joseph Beam, whoi was shot
through the body. Although the wound was
thought to be fatal, he was taken home and
e^-entually recovered. The loss of the enemy
was far greater than that of the Americans.
\A'hen the rain put a stop to the battle the
Americans hurriedly buried their dead, cared
for their wounded, making them as comfort-
able as possible for transportation, and again
formed in line of march. The enemy, seeing
the column again on the retreat, rallied their
forces and renewed the pursuit, firing on the
column from a respectful distance. Capt.
Biggs' company was covering the retreat.
They had led the advance in the outward
march and were now reduced to only nine
men. Some of these were wounded and all
greatly exhausted, and there was again danger
of the ranks being demoralized by the fire of
the enemy, and each man attempting to shift
for himself. Again the companies began to
waver under the irritating attacks of the en-
emy, and it took the heroic exertions of the
officers to prevent the retreat from degenerat-
ing into a hopeless rout. The company in
front was ordered to file to the left, the bal-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
55
ance of the army marched forward, when that
company wheeled into line and became the rear
guard; then another from the front took its
place, each in turn protecting the rear, and
confidence took the place of fear, and the
weary march finally ended when the tired
troopers entered the friendly shelter of the
dense woods.
The battle of Olentangy on June 6, 1782,
may have been but a skirmish, but it is inter-
esting historically as a battle of the American
Revolution, fought on Crawford county soil.
The battle of Sandusky on June 4, was also in
what was Crawford county from 1820 to
1845, so the only two battles of the Revolu-
tion that occurred west of the Alleghenies, are
of historic interest to this county.
Of the expertness of the American marks-
man, Butterfield, in his work "Crawford's
Campaign Against Sandusky," gives an inci-
dent which relates to the battle of Olentangy.
It was told him by George W. Leith, of Ne-
vada, a grandson of John Leith. John Leith
was a trader at the Indian town of Sandusky,
and was there when the news arrived of the
approach of Crawford's army. On June 4,
the day before the battle, he started down the
Sandusky river with his goods and furs seek-
ing safer quarters. He camped that night on
the banks of the river a little below Tiffin.
Here a Frenchman, who was an Indian in-
terpreter, on his way to join the Indians at
Sandusky, spent the night with him. The
next morning, hearing the firing, the French-
man hurriedly left for the field of battle.
Reaching the Indians, he dressed himself in
their costume, and in a spirit of bravado
painted a large red spot on his breast, re-
marking to one of the Indian warriors, "Here
is a mark for the Virginia riflemen." He ac-
companied the Indians in their pursuit of the
retreating army, and took part in the battle
of Olentangy, and when the Americans went
over the battlefield gathering up their dead and
wounded they found the Frenchman, cold and
stiff in death, with a bullet hole passing through
the red mark.
By nightfall the Americans reached the
place where they had made their first camp
in Crawford county, near Leesville, and here
they passed the night, the enemy camping
about a mile to the rear. In less than twenty-
four hours they had covered forty miles and
both armies were completely exhausted. The
next morning the Americans resumed their
retreat, being occasionally fired on by the sav-
ages, the last shot as they were leaving what
is now the borders of Crawford county, just
north of Crestline. From there they marched
to the Ohio with no sight of the enemy. They
reached the Tuscarawas towns on June 10,
and Mingo Bottom on the 13th, covering the
distance in less than seven days, and even with
this speed they were rejoiced to find some of
their missing comrades, whom they had feared
had either been lost or fallen into the hands
of the enemy, had arrived before them — some
of them as much as two days previous. The
outward journey had consumed eleven days,
the route taken having been about one hundred
and eighty-five miles each way.
When the retreat was started Col. Craw-
ford missed his son John Crawford, his son-
in-law, William Harrison, and his nephew,
William Crawford. While looking for these
relatives. Dr. Knight joined him. Both waited,
calling for the absentees, until all the troops
had passed. By this time there was severe
firing in the direction of the retreating army.
An old man and boy joined Crawford and
Knight. It being dangerous to attempt to
reach the main column the four went north
about two miles, and then turned due east,
, over a mile north of the battle ground. A
little before midnight they reached the San-
dusky which they crossed less than a mile
south of the village of the Wyandot chief Po-
moacan. The old man lagged behind, and
frequent stops were made for hiin to catch
up. Finally an Indian scalp-halloo announced
that the old man had been overtaken by some
wandering savage and killed. At daylight
Crawford, Knight and the boy entered Craw-
ford county about two miles northwest of
where Oceola is now situated, their progress
being slow on account of the darkness and the
jaded condition of the horses. Here Craw-
ford and the young man were compelled to
abandon their horses, and on foot they con-
tinued their journey east, bearing toward the
south, and about two o'clock fell in with Capt.
Biggs, who had carried Lieut. Ashley from the
battle, the latter being badly wounded. The
five continued an hour longer when a heavy
56
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
rain came on and they were compelled to go
into camp, which they did near the line be-
tween Holmes and Liberty townships, about
two miles north of Bucyrus, having only made
nine miles since daylight. The next morning
the five continued their journey, passing
through the southwest corner of Liberty and
crossing the Sandusky two or three miles east
of Bucyrus, and soon entered Whetstone town-
ship. While marching through the woods they
discovered a deer recently killed, with some
meat sliced from the bones. This they took
with them and a mile farther espied smoke of
a fire. They approached it carefully and were
of the opinion some of their own party had en-
camped there the previous night. They used
the fire to roast their venison, and while eat-
ing were joined by one of their own men, the
man who had killed the deer, who hearing them
in the distance had secreted himself in the
woods believing them to be Indians. After
eating their breakfast of venison the party
continued their march until about two o'clock
they reached the point on the Sandusky, in
section 12, Jefferson township, where the troops
had left the . river on their outward march.
It was near this point the enemy had camped
the preceding night. A discussion arose as to
the future course ; Crawford held to follow the
course of the army as they could make better
time along a known trail, and that there was no
danger, as the Indians would not follow the
retreating army into the woods, and they were
now several miles from the plains. Capt. Ash-
ley and Lieut. Biggs thought the safer course
was through the woods, avoiding all Indian
trails. Crawford's plan was followed, the Col.
and Dr. Knight leading, on foot; about a
hundred yards behind was the wounded officer
on horseback, Lieut. Ashley, with his friend
Capt. Biggs, while at the rear were the two
young men. They followed the south bank
of the Sandusky, through the site of the pres-
ent town of Leesville and just east of that
place several Indians started up less than fifty
feet from Crawford and Knight. The Doctor
jumped behind a tree and was about to fire,
when Crawford, observing how many Indians
there were, advised him not. An Indian who
knew them came forward and shook hands;
Capt. Biggs in the meantime had fired on the
savages, but missed, and he and his companion
Lieut. Ashley, took to the dense woods, as
did the two young men. The party that cap-
tured Crawford and Knight, were Delaware
Indians, who under their chief, Wingenund,
had followed the retreating army as far as
their camp, which was only half a mile dis-
tant from the place where they captured Craw-
ford, about a mile and a half northwest of
Crestline.
Crawford and Knight were taken to Winge-
nund's camp, where they found nine other
prisoners. Wingenund sent a message to Capt.
Pipe, announcing the capture of Col. Craw-
ford, the leader of the expedition, and of the
other prisoners, and received word to bring
them to the headquarters of the Delawares
on the Tymochtee. It was about three o'clock
on Friday, June 7, that Crawford and Knight
were captured, and on Sunday evening, June
9, some Delaware warriors returned bringing
with them the scalps of Capt. Biggs and Lieut.
Ashley, the two young men having escaped.
On Monday morning, June 10, fhey started
for the Indian towns on the Sandusky. Craw-
ford had been told that Simon Girty was at
Pomoacan's village, and as Girty knew him
and had frequently been his guest at his home
in Pennsylvania, he requested that he be taken
there. As this would lead the Indians past
the place where the two horses of Crawford
had been abandoned, Wingenund consented.
The Indians were seventeen in number. They
followed the trail about three miles when the
party separated. Crawford, guarded by two
Indians, bearing to the northwest over the
route by which he came, and the other six-
teen with their ten prisoners going west over
an Indian trail to the old town of Upper San-
dusky, crossing the river southwest of the
present site of Bucyrus. Crawford arrived at
the Half King's house and had an interview
with Girty, who promised to do what he could
for him. After, his interview with Girty
Crawford was taken up the river, about eight
miles, to the Old Town, where the other pris-
oners were. Here Pipe and W^ingenund had
preceded him, and painted the face of the pris-
oners black, which meant death. On Craw-
ford's arrival he was greeted by both chiefs
with words of friendship, but he, too, was
painted black. The whole party now started
for the village of the Wyandots where Craw-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
57
ford had spent the night, Crawford and
Knight being guarded by Pipe and Wingenund.
As they marched they came to the dead bodies
of four of the prisoners, tomahawked and
scalped.
At the present site of Upper Sandusky, in-
stead of continuing their march to the Half
King's Wyandot town, they bore to the north-
west for the Delaware town of Tymochtee.
On reaching the Little Tymochtee about three
miles from the Indian village. Knight was
made a present to the Shawanese, to be taken
to their town on the Mad river for torture,
the other five prisoners, with their hands tied
behind them, were given over to the squaws
and boys, and were tomahawked and scalped,
the bloody scalps being dashed in the faces of
both Crawford and Knight. The line of
march was again taken up, and the party were
met by Simon Girty and several Indians, who
had come across from the Half King's town
to witness the death of Crawford. From now
on both Crawford and Knight were struck
over the head, face and body with the fists, or
with sticks and clubs of the Indians. They
soon reached a bluff near the Tymochtee, about
three-quarters of a mile up the stream from
the Delaware village, where a fire had already
been prepared. The account of the death of
Crawford is taken from the narrative of Dr.
Knight, written in August, 1782, at Pittsburg.
There being no printing office in Pittsburg at
that time it was sent to Philadelphia and pub-
lished in November, 1782. Speaking of the
tortures of Crawford Knight says :
"When we went to the fire the Colonel was
stripped naked, ordered to sit down by the fire
and then they beat him with sticks and their
fists. Presently after I was treated in the
same manner. They then tied a rope to the
foot of a post about fifteen feet high, bound
the Colonel's hands behind his back and fas-
tened the rope to the ligature between his
wrists. The rope was long enough for him
to sit down or walk round the post once or
twice and return the same way. The Colonel
then called to Girty and asked him if they in-
tended to burn him? — Girty answered, 'yes.'
The Colonel said he would take it all patiently.
Upon this Captain Pipe, a Delaware chief,
made a speech to the Indians, viz : about thirty
or forty men, sixty or seventy squaws and
boys.
"When the speech was finished they all
yelled a hideous and hearty assent to what
had been said. The Indian men then took
up their guns and shot powder into the Col-
onel's body, from his feet as far up as his neck.
I think not less than seventy loads were dis-
charged upon his naked body. They then
crowded about him, and to the best of my
observation, cut off his ears; when the throng
had dispersed a little I saw the blood run-
ning from both sides of his head in conse-
quence thereof.
"The fire was about six. or seven yards from
the post to which the Colonel was tied; it
was made of small hickory poles, burnt- quite
through in the middle, each end of the poles
remaining about six feet in length. Three
or four Indians by turns, would take up, in-
dividually, one of these burning pieces of
wood and apply it to his naked body, already
burnt black with the powder. These torment-
ors presented themselves on every side of him
with the burning fagots and poles. Some of
the squaws took broad boards upon which
they would carry a quantity of the burning
coals and hot embers and throw on him, so
that in a short time he had nothing but hot
coals of fire and hot ashes to walk upon.
"In the midst of these extreme tortures, he
called to Simon Girty and begged him to
shoot him; but Girty making no answer he
called to him again. Girty then, by way of
derision, told the Colonel he had no gun, at
the same time turning about to an Indian who
was behind him, laughed heartily, and by all
his gestures seemed delighted at the horrid
scene.
"Girty then came up to me and bade me
prepare for death. He said, however, I was
not to die at that place, but to be burnt at
the Shawanese towns. He swore by G — d I
need not expect to escape death, but should
suffer it in all its extremities.
"He then observed, that some prisoners had
given him to understand, that if our people
had had him they would. not hurt him; for
his part, he said, he did not believe it, but
desired to know my opinion of the matter,
but being at that time in great anguish and
58
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
distress for the torments the Colonel was suf-
fering before my eyes, as well as the expecta-
tion of undergoing the same fate in two days,
I made little or no answer. He expressed a
great deal of ill will for Col. Gibson, and
said he was one of his greatest enemies, and
more to the same purpose, to all which I paid
very little attention.
"Col. Crawford at this period of his suffer-
ings besought the Almighty to have mercy on
his soul, spoke very low, and bore his tor-
ments with the most manly fortitude. He con-
tinued in all the extremities of pain for an
hour and three-quarters or two hours longer,
as near as I can judge, when as last, being
almost exhausted, he lay down on his belly;
they then scalped him and repeatedly threw
the scalp in my iace, telling me "that was my
great captain." An old squaw (whose appear-
ance every way answered the ideas people en-
tertain of the Devil) got a board, took a par-
cel of coals and ashes and laid them on his
back and head, after he had been scalped; he
then raised himself upon his feet and began
to walk around the post ; they next put a burn-
ing stick to him as usual, but he seemed more
insensible of pain than before."
Dr. Knight was at this time taken away to
Capt. Pipe's house, and did not see the final
death of his commander. It was late in the
afternoon when the torture of Col. Crawford
commenced, and the Indians reported later
that he breathed his last just as the sun was
going down, and that the Indians covered the
body with fagots, and around the blaze held
a war dance until late into the night. The
next morning as Knight started for the
Shawanese town, the charred bones of Craw-
ford were pointed out to him by his captors.
On his way to the Shawanese town Knight
escaped, and after a very toilsome journey
and much suffering, reached his friends in
safety, passing through southern Crawford,
or very near its border on his return journey.
Slover was captured but he, too, made his
escape.
The Wyandots had nothing to do with
Crawford's death. He was a Delaware pris-
oner. The Wyandots for some years had
ceased the burning of prisoners at the stake.
The Delawares and Shawanese still adhered
to the custom. The Delawares, however, were
only by courtesy on the Wyandot's land, and
Butterfield says that through a trick The Pipe
and Wingenund obtained the Half King's
consent to the death of Crawford. They
sent to Pomoacan, a messenger, bearing a belt
of wampum, with the following message:
"Uncle ! we, your nephews, the Lenni Lanape,
salute you in a spirit of kindness, love and
respect. Uncle! we have a project in view
which we ardently wish to accomplish, and
can accomplish if our uncle will not overrule
us! By returning the wampum we will have
your' pledged word!" The message puzzled
Pomoacan, and he questioned the messenger,
who could give no information, and the Half
King, believing it was some new expedition
of the Delawares against the white settle-
ments, sent back word : "Say to my nephews
they have my pledge." This was the death
warrant of Col. Crawford.
Many writers incline to the theory that Col.
Crawford suffered torture in retaliation for
the massacre of the Moravian Indians, who
were Delewares. In a sense, this may be true,
but The Pipe had a supreme contempt for the
Moravian branch of his tribe; still, they were
Delawares, and the Indian tribal spirit called
for the tribe to avenge their death, even if
they refused to revenge it themselves, although
most of those who escaped the massacre joined
their comrades in the fight against Crawford.
It is probable, however, the fate of Crawford
would have been the same if the Moravian
incident had not occurred. From 1776 to
1 78 1 the Delawares and Shawanese had made
expeditions to the border, murdering and
massacreing, and, when possible, brought
prisoners back to their villages to die by tor-
ture. It was the knowledge of these con-
stant barbarities which led to the Moravian
and the Crawford expeditions. Added to this
was the fact of imperative orders of the Brit-
ish officer at Detroit to his Indian allies to
send no more prisoners to that place; The
Wyandots killed theirs, sometimes after hav-
ing made them run the gauntlet; the Dela-
wares and Shawanese killed theirs, frequently
with all the forms of cruelity their fiendish in-
genuity could invent.
Cornwallis had surrendered at Yorktown
on October 19, 1781, which practically ended
the war of the Revolution, although the treaty
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
59
of peace was not signed until a year later, Nov.
30, 1782. The British still retained posses-
sion of Detroit, and kept the Indians of the
northwest hostile to the Americans, and the
depredations still continued. The Americans,
however, were now more free to protect their
border, and expeditions were sent against
them in the Miami valley and up toward the
Maumee and Detroit, the Wyandots sending
all their warriors to oppose the Americans on
these expeditions. On Jan. 27, 1785, a treaty
was signed at Fort Mcintosh, a fort on the
Ohio, thirty miles below Pittsburg, at the
mouth of the Beaver river, where the town
of Beaver, Pa., now is. This treaty was made
between the Americans and the Wyandots,*
Delawares, Chippewas and Ottawas. The
boundary line between the United States and
the Wyandots and Delawares was declared to
begin "at the mouth of the river Cuyahoga,
and to extend up said river to the portage
between that and the Tuscarawas branch of
the Muskingum, thence down that branch to
the crossing place above Fort Laurens (on
the border line of Stark and Tuscarawas
counties, near where the town of Bolivar now
is) thence westerly to the portage of the Big
Miami, which runs into the Ohio (its western
point being Fort Recovery in Mercer county)
at the mouth of which branch was Fort Slovel
which was taken by the French in 1752; then
along said portage to the Great Miami or
Omee river (Maumee) and down 'the south
side of the same to its mouth, then along the
south shores of Lake Erie to the mouth of
the Cuyahoga river, where it began." All
of the territory inside this boundary (all of
northwestern Ohio), was assigned to the In-
dians, with a few trading posts reserved, six
miles square at the mouth of the Sandusky,
and a tract two miles square at Fremont.
Sha-tay-ya-ron-yah, or Leather Lips, who
signed this treaty and kept it, was afterward
murdered under Indian law on account of his
friendship for the Americans. In 18 10 Te-
cumseh commenced his organization of the
Indians against the whites, but found the
*The Wyandots signing this treaty were
Tar-he (or Crane), T. Williams Jr., Tey-yagh-taw,
Ha-ro-en-you (or Half King's son), Te-haaw-to-
rens, Aw-me-yee-ray, Staye-tak, Sha-tay-ya-ron-yah
(or Leather Lips), Daugh-shut-tay-ah, Shay-aw-run-
the.
Wyandots, led by Tar-he and Leather Lips,
were bitterly opposed to the plan. Gen. Har-
rison was of the opinion the chief's death
was the result of the direct command of Te-
cumseh. In June, 1810, Leather Lips was an
old man, and was on the Scioto river about
twelve miles above Columbus, when parties
arrived direct from Tecumseh's headquarters
at Tippecanoe, accusing the aged chief of
witchcraft. An Indian Council was called,
which lasted for three hours. His accusers
from Tippecanoe were very bitter in their de-
nunciations. The venerable chief made a
calm and dignified and dispassionate reply.
Some whites present endeavored to save him,
but the fierce vindictiveness of the opposition
made all appeals for mercy useless. Sentence
of death was pronounced and six Indians ap-
pointed as his executioners. After the sen-
tence Leather Lips walked slowly to his camp,
calmly ate his dinner, washed, and dressed
himself in his best apparel, wearing his finest
skins and brightest colored chieftain feathers.
He painted his face as a warrior. When the
hour arrived, arrayed as a chieftain, his erect
stride and gray hairs made his appearance
graceful and commanding. He walked slowly
to his doom, chanting the Indian death song
in a voice of surprising melody and sweet-
ness. Wyandot warriors slowly followed,
timing their march to the mournful dirge.
At the grave he shook hands with all present,
and the Wyandot captain of the executioners
offered a prayer, after which Leather Lips
knelt, and while offering a prayer to the Great
Spirit, one of the executioners quietly ap-
proached from behind, and buried a toma-
hawk in his brain. He was buried in his
chieftain's robes, and with all his decorations.
He had given his life as a penalty for keep-
ing his word to remain loyal to the Americans,
and a dozen or more of the white men were
there to witness the cowardly act, and never
raised a hand to stay the brutal murder.
Jan. 9, 1789, another treaty was made by
Gov. St. Clair at Fort Harmar (Marietta),
with the Wyandots and others, confirming the
treaty of 1785. It was not kept and the In-
dians, supplied with arms and ammunition by
the British at Detroit, continued their depre-
dations, and several expeditions sent against
them were disastrous to the Americans. Fin-
60
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
ally in 1794, Gen. Anthony Wayne, "Mad An-
thony," led the expedition against them, and
at the battle of Fallen Timbers he gained a
complete and decisive victory, and on August
3, 1795, the Greenville treaty was signed, mak-
ing the Indian reservation about as before.
On July 4, 1805, another treaty was signed
at Fort Industry between the United States
and the Wyandots and other tribes, by which
the eastern boundary of their reservation was
a meridian line, starting at a point on Lake
Erie, 120 miles west of the western boundary
of Pennsylvania, thence south to the Green-
ville treaty line. This line was the present
west boundary of Erie and Huron counties;
it passed through Crawford county giving
the present eastern seven miles to the United
States, the western thirteen miles being re-
served to the Indians. It touched the Green-
ville treaty line about two miles east of what
is now Cardington, in Morrow county. All
east of this north and south line, north of
the Greenville treaty line, extending to the
Cuyahoga river was now open to settlement.
For this territory the Indians were given
goods to the amount of $20,000, and were to
receive in addition $7,500 in goods annually.
From this new territory Richland county was
created in 1807, and it included the four east-
ern miles of what is now Crawford county,
all of Auburn, Vernon and Jackson, and the
eastern two miles of Jefferson and the eastern
four miles of Polk. Between the western
boundary of Richland county and the eastern
boundary of the reservation, a three mile strip
was left unattached, the present three eastern
sections of Cranberry, all of Sandusky and
the three western sections of Jefferson and
Polk. For some years the Indians remained
peaceful, their severe losses in their constant
wars having so greatly reduced their num-
bers that they realized, without help, all fur-
ther opposition to the Americans was hopeless.
This peace would have continued but for
the actions of the British in forcing the war
of 1812. England for several years had been
stopping American ships on the high seas,
seizing seamen on those vessels and impress-
ing them into the British navy on the ground
they were British seamen. Many American
born sailors were thus seized, and to all pro-
tests the British government turned a deaf
ear. The British also instigated the Indians
in the northwest to recommence their depre-
dations against the Americans, and Tecumseh
organized the savage tribes, and when war
was declared by the United States Tecumseh
and nearly all the northwestern Indians joined
their forces with the British, with headquar-
ters at Detroit. Tarhe "The Crane," was
chief of the Wyandots at that time, and as-
sisted by Between-the-Logs, another Wyandot
chief, urged their tribe to remain neutral,
which the majority of them did, very few
Wyandots following the lead of Tecumseh.
At the breaking out of the war, the first year
in the northwest, the Americans met with a
constant succession of reverses.
In July, 1 81 2, Gen. William Hull, in com-
mand at Detroit, surrendered that post to the
British and Indians, without firing a gun. The
allied army consisted of a thousand British and
six hundred Indians. The force surrendered
was 2,500 men, with thirty-three cannon, arms
and ammunition. Just prior to the surrender
a detachment of five hundred had been sent
south to guard some supplies coming from
Ohio. These were a part of Hull's arrtiy and
were surrendered also, and as they were re-
turning they were met by a company of Brit-
ish soldiers who astonished them with the
statement that they, too, were included in
the capitulation. The American troops were
released on parole. A number started home
on foot, others were transported in boats
across Lake Erie to the mouths of the San-
dusky, Huron and Cuyahoga rivers, and left
at those points to go overland the nearest route
to their homes, many passing through Craw-
ford as the nearest way home.
Gen. William Henry Harrison was placed
in command of the army in the northwest in
September of 1812, the objective point of
this campaign being to regain Detroit from
the British. Gen. Harrison immediately es-
tablished a line of defense across the state
from Wooster through Crawford county, to
Upper Sandusky and St. Mary's to Ft. Wayne.
The army was divided into three divisions,
the left composed of the Kentucky troops and
the Seventeenth and Eighteenth U. S. regu-
lars under Brigadier General Winchester ; their
route was up the Miami, with the base of
supplies at St. Mary's, Auglaize county. The
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
61
central division was composed of 1,200 of the
Ohio militia and eight hundred mounted in-
fantry under Brigadier General Tupper, with
their base of supplies at Fort McArthur
(Kenton, Hardin county). The right was
composed of three brigades of militia from
Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio, and were to
assemble at Fort Ferree, a fort erected at
Upper Sandusky, where Gen. Harrison had
his headquarters. During the early winter
these troops were assembling at the three diff-
erent points a large number of the right divi-
sion marching to their post through Crawford
county. On October 22, Gen Harrison wrote
to the war department: "I am not able to fix
any period for the advance of the troops to
Detroit. It is pretty evident that it cannot
be done, on proper principles, until the frost
shall have become so severe as to enable us
to use the rivers and the margin of- the lake
for the transportation of our baggage on the
ice." He also stated that to go from Colum-
bus to Upper Sandusky, for every team em-
ployed in transporting supplies it would re-
quire two teams loaded with forage for their
subsistence, and that at Upper Sandusky it
was necessary to accumulate not only provi-
sions for the men but forage sufficient for at
least two thousand horses and oxen, that
would necessarily have to be employed in ad-
vancing the main expedition. During No-
vember and December Gen. Harrison did what
he could toward improving the roads.
While at his headquarters on the Sandusky,
Tarhe, the Wyandot chief, called on Gen.
Harrison, and suggested that a meeting of
the Indians be held, as it was his opinion
many of the Indians had been deceived into
joining the British forces. In response to
this, a council of Indians, both friendly and
unfriendly, was held on the American side
of the Detroit river at Brownstown. The
Wyandots were then the leading and most
powerful Indian nation, and Tarhe, their
chief, sent a strong message urging them to
remain neutral. Tarhe's message was re-
ceived in sullen silence, and Round Head, a
Canadian chief, and a Wyandot, made a bit-
ter speech against the Americans, which was
endorsed by practically all present. The Brit-
ish were represented at the council by two
agents, Elliott and McKee, and Elliott, seeing
the spirit of the Indians, made a very insulting
speech, boasting of the victories already
achieved, and alluding to the President of the
United States as a squaw, and saying: "If
she receives this as an insult and feels disposed
to fight, tell her to bring more men than she
ever brought before. If she wishes to fight me
and my children she must not burrow in the
earth like a ground hog* where she is inac-
cessible. She must come out and fight fairly."
The leading chief of the Wyandots present
was Between-the-Logs, the chief orator of that
nation, and to the insulting speech of Elliott
he made a dignified reply:
"Brothers, I am directed by my American
father to inform you that if you reject the
advice given you, he will march here with a
large army, and if .he should find any of the
red people opposing him in his passage through
this country, he will trample them under his
feet. You cannot stand before him.
"And now for myself, I earnestly entreat
you to consider the good talk I have brought,
and listen to it. Why should you devote your-
selves, your women and your children to de-
struction? Let me tell you, if you should
defeat the American army this time you have
not done! Another will come on, and if you
defeat that still another will appear that you
cannot withstand; one that will come like the
waves of the great water, and overwhelm you
and sweep you from the face of the earth.
"If you doubt the account I give you of the
force of the Americans, you can send some
of your own people, in whom you have con-
fidence, to examine their army and navy.
They shall be permitted to return in- safety.
The truth is your British father lies to you
and deceives you. He boasts of the few vic-
tories he gains, but never tells you of his de-
feats, of his armies being slaughtered, and
his vessels being taken on the big waters. He
keeps all these things to himself.
"And now, father, let me address a few
words to you. Your request shall be granted.
I will bear your message to the American
father. It is true none of your children ap-
pear willing to forsake your standard, and it
will be the worse for them. You compare the
Americans to ground hogs, and complain of
their mode of fighting. I must confess that
*Alluding to the Americans having pits in the
embankments to shelter them from cannon balls
thrown into their forts.
62
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
a ground hog is a very difficult animal to
contend with. He has such sharp teeth, such
an inflexible temper, and such an unconquer-
able spirit, that he is truly a dangerous enemy,
especially when he is in his own hole. But,
father, let me tell you, you can have your
wish. Before many days you will see the
ground hog floating on yonder lake, paddling
his 'canoe toward your hole, and then, father,
you will have an opportunity of attacking your
enemy in any way you may think best."
This closed the council, the Canadian In-
dians remaining with the British, while the
Ohio Wyandots followed the advice of Be-
tween-the-Logs. Tarhe made another at-
tempt and sent another message to his Cana-
dian Wyandot kinsman: "Let all the Wyan-
dots abandon the British. They are liars and
have always deceived the Indians. They built
Fort Miami, as they said, to be a refuge to
the Indians. When wounded and bleeding,
after our defeat by Gen. Wayne, we fled to
their fort for protection, they shut the gates
against us." Later in the campaign Tecum-
seh threw this same treacherous act up to Gen.
Procter. It referred to a campaign when
"Mad Anthony" Wayne defeated the British
and Indians, and the British sought refuge
in Fort Miami, and closed its gates against
their fleeing Indian allies. He called atten-
tion to several other acts of perfidy of the
British but it had no effect on his Canadian
people, although nearly all the Wyandots in
Ohio remained on the side of the Americans ;
only a very few joinmg the British.
During the war of 1812 Gen. Harrison had
his headquarters much of the time along the
Sandusky river. He established Fort Ferree,
the present site of Upper Sandusky ; Fort Ball
at Tiffin and Fort Seneca half way between
Tiffin and Fremont. This latter place had been
a trading post over a century, established by
the French, and here was Fort Stevenson.
On December 17, 181 2, Gov. Meigs sent a
message to the State Legislature appealing
for aid for the Ohio militia at Sandusky, in
which he said : "The situation of the men as
to clothing is really distressing. You will
see many of them wading through the snow
and mud almost barefooted and half naked.
Not half the men have a change of pantaloons,
and those linen."
In January, 1813, Gen. Harrison marched
from Upper Sandusky to the Maumee and
about January 20 erected Fort Meigs, on the
south side of the river just above where
Perrysburg now is, and for the balance of the
winter supplies and troops were sent forward
and the fort strengthened. Toward the last
of April the fort was besieged by Gen. Procter
and Tecumseh with two thousand British and
Indians, but the small force there made .so
determined a resistence until re-inforcements
arrived under Gen. Clay, that on May 5, the
allies gave up the siege and retired. Gen.
Harrison sent word to Gov. Meigs that more
troops were needed, and they were soon on
their way to the different posts. On May 8
the commander at Fort Ferree wrote that five
hundred men had arrived that day and a thou-
sand more would be there the next day.
On July 21 Gen. Procter and Tecumseh
again laid siege to Fort Meigs with four thou-
sand British and Indians, Gen. Clay being in
command of the Fort. The British general,
Procter, left Tecumseh to watch the Fort,
while he, with five hundred British troops and
eight hundred Indians, marched to Lower
Sandusky (Fremont) to capture Fort Steven-
son, which was garrisoned by one hundred
and fifty men under Major Crogan, a young
man of twenty-one. They arrived before the
Fort on August- ist, 1813, and Procter de-
manded its surrender under the threat that
its defense against his superior force was
hopeless, and if they were compelled to cap-
ture the place, it would be impossible for him
to restrain the savagery of the Indians, and
the entire garrison would be massacred. The
demand was refused and on August 2d the
attack commenced, and after several hours of
fighting the enemy endeavored to take it by
assault but were repulsed with great slaugh-
ter. Gen. Harrison was at the time at Fort
Seneca, nine miles up the river, with a large
force of troops, and Procter fearing an at-
tack in return gave up the attempt and re-
turned to Detroit. Their loss was perhaps one
hundred and fifty killed and wounded. The
American loss was one killed and seven
wounded.
The Ohio militia continued pouring into
Fort Ferree until in August there were from
five to six thousand men there under com-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
63
mand of the Governor, Return Jonathan
Meigs. It was impossible to care for so many,
besides the enemy had abandoned their at-
tempt to capture Fort Meigs and retired to
Detroit, and the pressing need for the militia
had passed, so all but two thousand were dis-
banded and sent home, an order which was
received with the greatest disapproval by the
disbanded troops, and led to indignation meet-
ings in which severe resolutions were passed
against Gen. Harrison.
On September lo, 1813, Perry gained his
signal victory on Lake Erie and Gen. Harri-
son pushed forward into Michigan to retake
the fort. Reaching Detroit he found the place
deserted, the British and Indians having re-
tired across the river into Canada. On Oc-
tober 2d, Gens. Harrison and Shelby, with
3,500 Ohio and Kentucky troops, started after
the retreating army and overtook the allied
forces at the river Thames, eighty miles from
Detroit. A battle followed on October 5, in
which Tecumseh was slain, which so demoral-
ized his Indian followers that they immediately
took flight. A large number of the British
were killed or captured and the rest fled. This
was the final battle of the northwest, and from
that time the settlers of northwestern Ohio
were no longer disturbed by the British or In-
dians. The war, however, continued in the
east and south, until the last battle was fought
at New Orleans, on January 8, 181 5, by Gen.
Jackson, who, with six thousand men, ad-
ministered a crushing defeat to Gen. Packen-
ham's force of 12,000. The troops of Pack-
enham were the pick of the British army, the
survivors returning to Europe in time to take
part in the battle of Waterloo, while the troops
of Jackson were the raw militia of Kentucky,
Tennessee and the Northwest, but every man a
marksman. In the repeated charges of Pack-
enham against the breastworks of the Amer-
icans the world was given an example of the
height to which disciplined soldiery can be
brought.
During the war of 1812, in the battles along
the Maumee, the brutal murderings by the In-
dians of the soldiers after they had sur-
rendered, were of frequent occurrence. Un-
armed prisoners were butchered and scalped;
huts containing the wounded were set on fire,
the infuriated savages surrounding the burn-
ing buildings, and as the maimed and crippled
soldiers endeavored to escape they were bayo-
netted back into the flames. Some prisoners
were taken by the Indians to their towns to
undergo death by torture. During this war
the English endeavored to curb the cruelties
of their Indian allies, but it was generally use-
less, and it was only on a few occasions that
/ a ^^ :t%^
Map of the Northwest Territory.
Tecumseh himself was able to restrain the
ferocity of the savages.
The Wyandots being at peace with the
Americans, and Harrison's headquarters for
his principal army of advance during the war
being in what was Crawford county from 1820
to 1845, there were no disturbances in this
section; in fact at the time of the War of 1812
to 1 8 14, there was not a single settler on any
land within the borders of the county, it was
still an unbroken wilderness, crossed by a mil-
itary road in the south and another through
where Bucyrus is now located, with Indian
trails covering the county in various directions.
CHAPTER IV
SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY
Crawford County Organized — Previous Ownership — Indian Reservations — Formation of
Wayne County — Delaware and Known Counties Formed — Richland County Organized —
Boundaries of Crawford County in 1820 — The J^yandot Reservation Purchased — Indian
Villages in Crawford County — Army Routes — Early Roads — The Sandusky Plains — Pas-
sage of Crooks' Army — Ludlow's Survey — Bad Lands — Abandoned Cabins — Crawford
County in its Crude State — The "Old Purchase" — The Westward Movement — Inhab-
itants of the County Prior to 18 15 — Jedediah Moorehead — John Pettigon, the First Land
Owner — William Green, the First Permanent Settler — Other Early Settlers in the Various
Townships — A Fatal Accident — Early Distilleries — Indian Treaty of 181I — The Land
Secured by it — Supplementary Treaty — Ihe New Land Surveyed and Settled — Where
the Pioneers Came From — Their Real and Personal Estate — Log Cabins and How They
Were Built — Accidents — Furniture — Provisions — Baking — Water Supply — Log Rolling
— Clothing — Crops and Harvesting — Grist Mills — Honey and Bee-Hunting — Cranberries
— Scarcity of Money — Price of Various Products — Blazed Trails — Neighbors' Visits —
Pioneer Hospitality — Mails — The Traveling Minister — Family Services — Medical Re-
sources and Early Doctors — Pioneer Pastimes — Funerals — Improvements — The County
Erected and Named — Population in 1820 — -List of Settlers.
O! the pleasant days of old which so often people
praise!
True, they wanted all .the luxuries that grace our
modern days:
Bare floors were strewed with rushes — the walls let
in the cold;
O! how they must have shivered in those pleasant
days of old!
I love to sing their ancient rhymes, to hear their
legends told —
But, Heaven be thanked! I live not in those blessed
times of old! — Francis Brown.
On Feb. 12, 1820, the Legislature of the
State of Ohio passed an act erecting the
County of Crawford, and on Jan. 31, 1826,
another act was passed, authorizing the cit-
izens of the county to elect their officers and
Crawford became one of the counties in the
great State of Ohio.
Prior to this the territory comprising Craw-
ford county had been under various controls.
The first civilized owner was Spain, when it
became Spanish territory in 1492, by the dis-
covery of Columbus, and the claims of Ferdi-
nand and Isabella, approved by Pope Alexander
VI., which made all newly-discovered terri-
tory, west of the Atlantic, Spanish possessions.
In 1497, and subsequent years, the Cabots,
John and Sebastian, especially the latter, ex-
plored the Atlantic coast from Canada to
Florida, and by virtue of 'their discoveries
England claimed the entire country north of
Florida from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Later England made grants of lands to colon-
ization companies, and what is now Crawford
county, under one of these grants, came under
the jurisdiction of Virginia. The present
northern boundary of Crawford was the
north line of Virginia territory. From this
line north to the Lake belonged to Connecti-
cut, also supposed to extend through to the
Pacific ocean.
In 1554 Cartier went up the St. Lawrence
as far as Montreal, and for over two centuries
France made explorations of the entire coun-
64
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
65
try west of the Alleghenies and north of the
Ohio river. France explored it and fortified
it, erected trading posts and made settlements,'
claimed it by the right of discovery and had
control of it. England, however, still claimed
it by reason of the Cabots' coast discoveries,
and the further claim that in several treaties
with the Iroquois Nation, the last in 1744,
they had purchased of that Indian nation the
entire territory from the Alleghenies to the
Mississippi, north of the Ohio river. As a
result of these conflicting claims, in 1755 the
Seven Years War started between England
and France. The French were defeated, and
in 1763, by force of arms, the land became
English, and Crawford county was Virginia
territory.
In 1774 England made all the land, from
the Ohio to the Lakes and from Pennsylvania
to the Mississippi, Royal Domain and a part
of the Province of Quebec, so Crawford coun-
ty's headquarters was now Canada.
In 1776 the War of the Revolution started,
and again by the force of arms the ownership
changed, and by the final treaty signed in
Paris, Sept. 3, 1783, Crawford became a part
of the new Nation.
By the Indian treaties of Jan. 27, 1785, and
Jan. 9, 1789, all of Ohio west of the Cuyahoga
river, and about the northern half of the
State west of that river, including nearly all
of northern Indiana and all of eastern Michi-
gan was reserved to the Indians, and this vast
territory was designated as Wayne county,
with headquarters at Detroit.
On July 4, 1805, another treaty was made
with the Indians extending the eastern boun-
dary of the Indian reservation fifty miles
further to the west. This placed the boundary
line of the reservation in Crawford county.
The eastern line of the reservation being the
present eastern line of Liberty and Whetstone
townships. The seven eastern miles of the
present county were now open to settlement,
and of this territory the four eastern miles
were a part of Fairfield county, and the balance
a part of Franklin county. In 1808 Delaware
and Knox counties were created, and the east-
ern part of the county was Knox and the west-
ern part Delaware.
Jan. 7, 1813, Richland county was organ-
ized, and the four eastern miles of the present
Crawford were a part of the new county, the
balance of the county being Delaware.
Sept. 20, 1817, a treaty was made with the
Wyandots, together with a supplemental treaty
on Sept. 17, 1818, by which all of northwest-
ern Ohio was purchased from the Indians,
their only reservation being a few tracts, the
largest twelve by eighteen miles in size in
what is now Crawford and Wyandot coun-
ties. This newly opened section for three years
remained a part of Delaware county.
By an act of the Legislature of Feb. 12,
1820, Crawford county was formed, consist-
ing of a tract of land, commencing at the
present western boundary of Auburn and Ver-
non townships, and extending west thirty-three
miles, including all of the present Wyandot
county except an irregular strip of about four
miles on its western border. The northern
boundary was the same as today. The south-
ern boundary was two miles north of the
present southern line of the county. For
judicial purposes the new county was placed
under the care of Delaware. Dec. 15, 1823,
Marion county was organized, and Crawford
came under its judicial jurisdiction, and for
the convenience of settlers in the northern
portion, all land north of the Indian reserva-
tion, including one tier of townships east and
west, was placed for judicial purposes under
the care of Seneca county. The Seneca
county portion was practically Texas, Lykins,
and the western portion of Chatfield.
On Jan. 31, 1826, Crawford county was
organized, the same territory as formed in
1820, an area of about 594 square miles.
In 1835, six miles of the eastern portion of
the Wyandot reservation was purchased from
the Indians, and a few years later all of the
present Crawford county was open to settle-
ment. On March 7, 1842, the balance of the
Wyandot reservation was purchased, and the
last foot of soil in Ohio owned by the In-
dians passed from their possession.
The organization of Wyandot county on
Feb. 3, 1845, changed Crawford county to its
present borders. Crawford lost to Wyandot
on the west a strip of land eighteen miles
square ; from Richland on the east was added
a strip four miles wide and eighteen deep.
From Marion on the south a strip was added
twenty miles long and two wide, making the
66
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
new and present Crawford county about 20
miles square, with an area of nearly four hun-
dred square miles.
Previous to the war of 18 12 there was no
settler in Crawford county. Prior to that
time the Indians had villages and camps in
various parts of the county. An Indian vil-
lage had once been located in the northwest-
ern part of Auburn township, just east of
what is now North Auburn station. Another
village was that of the Delawares, half a
mile northeast of the present site of Leesville.
Another was a Wyandot village on the bank
of the Whetstone in what is now the corporate
limits of Gallon. There may have been a
village four miles west of Bucyrus on the
Grass Run, If it was not a village it was
used so frequently as a camp as to leave many
of the signs which mark the sites of Indian
villages. The same is true of a site on the
Sandusky south of the Mt. Zion church, and
another point on the Sandusky a mile above
the present village of Wyandot. Early set-
tlers found land cleared at these places which
had been used for the raising of corn; there
were also a few fruit trees, but the clearing
being not over an acre they may have been
only annual camps. Some writers hold it was
on the Sandusky river at one of these points
where the Moravian Indians spent the winter
of 1 78 1, when they were forced to leave their
home on the Tuscarawas, and were brought
as prisoners by the British and Wyandots to
Crawford county. The Indians had camps all
over the county, one which they used during
the maple sugar season was on what is now
the public square at Bucyrus ; others were along
the banks of the rivers and bordering the
plains used during their hunts; in Chatfield
and Cranberry and northern Auburn and
southern Holmes were those used during
the cranberry season. Many an early settler
on his first arrival made use of these little
shelters which had been erected by the In-
dians.
During the War of 181 2 troops passed
through what is now Crawford county; the
eastern division of the army had its head-
quarters at Upper Sandusky; a fort was built
there, called Fort Ferree,, and it was here the
bulk of the stores for the entire army operat-
ing on the Maumee was assembled, most of
these stores being brought north from Frank-
linton (Columbus), and entered the original
Crawford county several miles west of the
present western boundary of the county, at
Little Sandusky. But one or more roads had
been cut through the forest from the eastern
to the western part of Crawford county for
the transportation of troops and supplies from
the east to the Upper Sandusky headquarters.
In 1805 the seven eastern miles of the pres-
ent Crawford had been purchased from the
Indians, and in 1807 this portion of the county
was surveyed. A map published in 181 5 gives
a road that goes west along the present boun-
dary line between Vernon and Jackson town-
ships; at the southwest corner of Vernon it
bears to the north one mile in three, leaving
Sandusky township one mile north of its south-
ern boundary; it is then marked through the
unsurveyed Indian reservation as an air-line
to Upper Sandusky, which would pass along
the present north corporation line of Bucyrus
in Holmes township, and leave the present
county about a mile south of Oceola. An-
other of these military roads entered the county
at where Crestline now is; bore to the SQUth-
west, practically along the line of the present
Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati road,
passed through Gallon north of the Whet-
stone,* and followed about the line of the
present Gallon road to Bucyrus, keeping to the
high ground north of that road; crossing the
Sandusky at Bucyrus, and getting to the high
ground north of the present Pennsylvania
road, going west to Upper Sandusky. This
road is not given on the map printed in 181 5,
but that a military road existed somewhere
along this route can hardly be questioned. H.
W. McDonald, in his thorough survey of the
county forty years ago, traced it plainly
through Jackson and Polk townships. In 1821
James Nail was living two miles north of
Gallon, and he wanted to find the place where
the Indians gathered their cranberries, so he
started on a searching expedition with two of
his neighbors. He says : "We took horses and
horsefeed and went southwest until we struck
the Pennsylvania Army Road, which we could
easily distinguish." After following that road
several miles, he thought they were not "get-
*In 1833 the Legislature changed the name of this
stream to the Olentangy.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
67
ting far enough north," therefore "we turned
further north," and crossed the Sandusky at
McMochael's, whose land was then about two
miles up the river from Bucyrus. The lan-
guage of Nail plainly shows that when they
struck the Army road they followed it in a
northwesterly direction, but not far enough
north to suit them so they turned further north.
Added to this, Seth Holmes, who came with
the Nortons in 1819, was a captain of team-
sters in the army in 1812, and always insisted
that on the march to Upper Sandusky he
camped one night on the banks of the San-
dusky, the camping point being near where
the Pennsylvania railroad now crosses East
Mansfield street.
The celebrated Sandusky Plains in this
county extended from the eastern part of
Whetstone township west to the Sandusky
river, the Pennsylvania railroad being about the
northern boundary. Outside of this section
the county was practically all forest, where
trees would have to be cut to make a road.
During the War of 1812 the entire militia of
the state, nearly twelve thousand in number,
were assembled at Upper Sandusky ; many reg-
ular troops were also massed there, and there
can be no question many of these passed
through Crawford county, probably nearly all
■of them on horseback, marching light without
camp equippage, and followed the Indian
trails, and their passage gave rise to the tradi-
tions handed down of several of Gen. Harri-
son's Military roads in Crawford county.
The army that passed through Crawford
•county was Pennsylvania troops under Gen.
Crooks. They arrived at Mansfield a little
after the middle of October, where they stopped
several weeks for rest and to await their sup-
plies. About Dec. loth Gen. Crooks received
orders from Gen. Harrison to proceed to Up-
per Sandusky. At that time reports from the
■supply train showed it would reach Mansfield
in a day or two, and on Dec. 12th, Col. Ander-
son arrived with the stores. He reports : "On
the 12th we reached the village of Mansfield,
where we found two blockhouses, a tavern and
two stores." The army train of which Col.
Anderson had charge consisted of 25 cannon,
mostly four and six pounders, each of these
drawn by six horses; then there were the
twenty-five cannon carriages each requiring
four horses; fifty covered wagons containing
the stores, with six horses to each ; the ammu-
nition was in large covered wagons, each with
six horses ; one large covered wagon drawn by
six horses contained iron-bound kegs filled with
coin for the payment of the troops. After re-
maining in Mansfield two or three days to rest
the teams they started for Upper Sandusky
about Dec. 15. Each teamster was armed
with a gun in case of an attack by the Indians.
The army train had reached but a short dis-
tance from Mansfield when a heavy snow fell,
and the ground was covered to a depth of two
feet. The ground had not yet frozen for the
winter, and the heavy wagons and ordnance cut
into the soft earth, and frequent stoppages had
to be made to extricate some wagon that had
become stalled. At night, after a toilsome
day's journey, the snow had to be cleared away
to secure a camping place; they had no tents,
and trees were cut down and large fires burned
all night to keep them from freezing. This
toilsome journey of about 43 miles from Mans-
field to Upper Sandusky, through Crawford
county, took them about two weeks and they
reached Upper Sandusky on New Year's Day,
1 81 3. But the first road through Crawford
county had been made.
What this army road was like is best shown
from a letter written by one of the Pennsylva-
nia troopers to a friend at Pittsburg, when he
continued his march from Upper Sandusky to
the Maumee, in March, 1813: "Early the next
morning at two o'clock our tents were struck,
and in half an hour we were on our way. I
will candidly confess that on that day I
regretted being a soldier. We walked thirty
miles in an incessant rain. For eight miles of
the thirty the water was over our knees and
often up to the middle. The Black Swamp,
four miles from the Portage river, and four
miles in extent, would have been considered
impassable by any man not determined to sur-
mount every obstacle. The water on the ice
was about six inches deep. The ice was very
rotten, often breaking through, where the
water was four or five feet deep. That night
we encamped on the best ground we could find,
but it was very wet. It was next to impossible
to kindle fires. We had no tents, no axes ; our
clothes were perfectly soaked through, and we
had but little to eat. Two logs rolled together
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
to keep me out of the water was my bed."
This was Gen. Harrison's military road, over
which he had to transport all his troops and
supplies from the eastern division of his army.
If the Pennsylvania trooper had left Upper
Sandusky on his homeward journey, and
passed on his way east through the plains of
southern Crawford, the description in March,
1 813, would have been exactly the same.
It was in 1807 that Maxwell Ludlow sur-
veyed the eastern seven miles of the present
Crawford county. He passed over what is
now the rich farming lands of southern Ver-
non, and in his surveyor's notes says : ' "This
mile is low land; the swamp is bad and no
water; am very thirsty; had but one drink in
48 hours." Surveying the line between Ver-
non and Auburn townships he writes : "I have
traveled the woods for seven years, but never
saw so hedious a place as this." The land was
so awful that the surveyor abandoned the
proper spelling of the descriptive word in ex-
pressing his disgust. In northwest Auburn,
between sections 3 and 4, just west of Coyken-
dall's run, he writes: "Second rate lane, ex-
cept the prairie, 20 inches deep in water." In
Polk township, he fared some better. He
writes : "Level. Good meadow ground. Some
swamps. Many crab apples. Hickory, sugar,
beech and swamp oak." Ludlow's territory
stopped before the Plains were reached. And
it was not until 1817 the western part of the
county was opened to settlement, and it was
surveyed by Sylvester Bourne in 1819. Here,
on the Plains, in southern Holmes, and in the
cranberry region of Chatfield and Cranberry
he had difficulty in setting his stakes, and in
some cases had to use a log or boat.
The Plains were so unhealthy from the dis-
ease that lurked in the swampy ground that
many an early settler abandoned his claim in
disgust, leaving behind an empty cabin and a
few unmarked graves of those of his family
who died before he could leave the unhealthy
spot. When Abraham Monnett reached Craw-
ford in 1835, he states that on the Plains he
could count at least 40 abandoned cabins of
settlers who had given up the hopeless fight.
It was irnpossible to get pure water in this
region. Bourne says in his notes : "Nearly
all the water I get by digging in the prairie is
strongly impregnated with copperas; so much
so as to be very disagreeable to the taste."
Along the river he writes : "There are many
springs along the banks of the Sandusky river,
below the high water mark, impregnated with
sulphur, some with iron, and some with cop-
peras, and some with all of these." When
Nail made his trip in 1821, across northern
Whetstone nearly to Bucyrus, and then north
to the Cranberry marsh, he summed it up : "As
long as we followed the army road the weeds
were as high as the horses' heads, and from
there the country was heavily timbered. We
concluded this country would never be set-
tled."
This was Crawford county in its crude
state, just as nature had formed it, and before
the hand of civilization had touched it. This
was the land to which the early pioneers came,
the wilderness which they transformed into
the cultivated farms of today, with the rich
fields of waving grain on every hand, and hun-
dreds of miles of pikes to take the place of
that solitary army road which wound its way
through the swamps and forests of the virgin
soil.
In 1809 Huron county was organized, which
bordered on the seven eastern miles of Craw-
ford's present northern boundary. In 1813
Richland county was organized, and included
in that county was all of the present Auburn,
Vernon, Jackson, the two eastern miles of
Jefferson and the four eastern miles of Polk.
All of Huron and Richland counties had be-
come open for settlement by the treaty of July
4, 1805, and settlers began taking up land in
those counties. But settlement was partly
stopped by the breaking out of the war of 1812.
After peace was declared in 181 5 the west-
ward movement again commenced, and from
Huron and from Richland the settlers drifted
over into what later became known as the
"Old Purchase," of which the seven eastern
miles of Crawford were a part.
Prior to 181 5 there had been whites resid-
ing in this section. Not bona fide settlers, but
hunters and trappers, who with the Indians
wandered all over the region, erecting their
small cabins, and making their living from the
skins and furs they gathered during the sea-
son. Many of these were men whose business
was hunting and trapping. There were others
who for some offense had fled from civiliza-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
69
tion to find safety beyond the reach of all law.
These were little better than desperadoes, and
this class were the men who in the earlier days
by their treatment of the Indians, stealing
their horses, robbing their traps, and even
shooting them without provocation, engen-
dered much of the bitterness which later caused
the savages to fall with barbarous cruelties on
the innocent and harmless settler. Around the
Plains were the bee-hunters, who in the sum-
mer season 'traced the bees to their hiding
places, marked the trees, and in the Fall
gathered the honey. These were the first white
residents of Crawford, and as the real pioneer
came they went farther into the wilderness.
One of these hunters and trappers who built
a home for hiiriself and family in Auburn
township, this county, was Jedediah Morehead ;
he was what was known as a "squatter," own-
ing no land, but "squatting" wherever it was
most convenient for his hunting. He was the
first white man to build a real cabin for him-
self in the county. He came with his wife and
a large family of children, and built his prim-
itive cabin on a narrow neck of land in Au-
burn township on the Honey Creek, convenient
to the marshes, where he trapped the beaver
and the otter, the most valuable furs in those
days, the skins of these animals having a mar-
ket value of $5 to $8, the otter having the
higher value. His cabin was of brush, bark,
and small logs, and some of the old settlers of
half a century ago were of the opinion he came
there during the War of 1812; he was cer-
tainly there in 181 5, and probably in 1814, and
his cabin, crude though it was, is reported as
being the first cabin erected in the county.
His business was exclusively hunting and
trapping; he was on friendly terms with the
Indians, and was sometimes absent for weeks
at a time on his hunting expeditions, return-
ing loaded with skins. He is also reported as
having a cabin and living a part of the time in
northern Vernon. He cleared no land, and
when the real pioneer came he moved farther
west with his family, but the site of his first
cabin in Crawford county is still known as
Morehead's Point.
John Pettigon was a soldier in the War of
1812, and during the latter part of the war he
purchased a small tract of land in the southern
portion of Auburn township ; on this he built a
small cabin in 181 4, and moved into it with
his wife and family. He was the first land
owner in the county, but he devoted his time
to hunting and trapping. Like Morehead the
support of his family was his rifle, the sale of
furs procuring what necessaries of life the for-
est would not furnish. He carried his furs on
his back to Huron on Lake Erie, exchanging
them for ammunition, salt and flour. He also
had a cabin in northern Vernon, to be more
convenient for deer. On what is known as
the Cummins farm, in Vernon, was a deer
lick, and here it was easy to secrete himself
and kill the deer as they came to drink. His
principal associates were the Indian hunters,
and as the settlers began entering land in his
section, he, too, left for the more unsettled
western regions.
In 1 81 5 the first real pioneer arrived in
what is now Crawford county. It was William
Green. He came from Massachusetts, and en-
tered 160 acres of land in the southeastern part
of Auburn township, section 27. He built his
log cabin in the woods in the fall of 181 5.
Then he returned to Licking county, where he
had left his wife and children with relatives
or friends until he could prepare a home for
them. He spent the winter in Licking county,
and in the spring of 1816 came with his wife
and family to their new home and commenced
the work immediately of clearing the land and
in the fall of that year gathered his first crop.
His descendants are sjill residents of Auburn
township.
.A man named Deardorff entered a quarter
section in Auburn in 181 5, on which he lived
for several years and then sold out and moved
away. About this time came Jacob Coyken-
dall, settling in section 1 5 on a small stream in
the eastern part of the township, which gave
the stream the name of Coykendall Run. He
became active in the affairs of the township,
and early built a saw and grist mill on the
little stream.
William Cole came in 181 7, and remained a
resident of the township until his death, leav-
ing a large family of descendants, many still
living in that section. Charles Morrow settled
in Auburn the same year, but after remaining a
few years he left.
In 1818, the new settlers were David Cum-
mins, William Laugherty, Charles Dewitt, and
70
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
the Bodleys — Levi, Lester, Jesse and John.
Probably about the same time Henry Reif set-
tled in the township, but no record can be dis-
covered as to the date.
In 1819 Adam Aumend arrived with his
wife and daughter, both named Mary. He was
a shoemaker by trade, and was the first shoe-
maker to work at his trade in the county, and
after his day's work was done, in the evening
and on rainy days he made shoes for his fam-
ily and the neighbors. His land was 320 acres,
which he purchased of Henry Reif at $2.50 per
acre. It was in the northwestern part of the
township. One of his sons, Adam, who came
with him was a young man of age. Samuel
Hanna came in 1819, and remained a resident
of the township until his death, and the original
land is still in the possession of his descendants.
Resolved White and his wife Lucy came in
1819. He was a lineal descendant of Peregrine
White, the first Pilgrim child born in Amer-
ica. He was born on the Mayflower while it
was lying at anchor off Plymouth Rock. In
an old New England Bible is the following rec-
ord of this first birth: "Sonne born to Sus-
anna Whie (White) Dec. 19, 1620, yt six
o'clock morning. Next day we meet for
prayer and thanksgiving." The record would
seem to indicate that in those days the father
was not of sufficient importance to receive men-
tion. His name was William White. Re-
solved White bought 160 acres of land of
William Laugherty in section 29, a mile north
of the present village of Tiro. It is still owned
by his descendants.
In 1816 Aaron B. Howe came, one of the
active men in the affairs of the township. He
settled on section 16, and the second election in
the township was held at his cabin in 1822.
In 1820 Rodolphus Morse came with his
wife Huldah, and son Amos, an infant one year
old. He purchased 160 acres of land in sec-
tion 29 of William Laugherty at $3.75 per
acre. Morse immediately took an active hand
in township affairs, and in 1824 secured the
establishment of a post office, which was called
both Tiro and Auburn, and he was appointed
Postmaster by President Monroe. The office
was in his log cabin two miles north of the
present village of Tiro, where it remained for
many years.
John Webber and Palmer and Daniel Huhe
were settlers prior to 1820. The Hulses were
brothers, and probably lived in the eastern part
of the township, in what is today Richland
county. They were active in the early affairs
of the new township, gave it its name and the
first election of township officers was held at
the cabin of Palmer Hulse, on April 12, 1821.
Other early settlers were the Sniders and
Kelloggs, as on Dec. 9, 1822, the first known
wedding took place in the township when Sal-
lie Snider was married to Erastiis Kellogg.
In Vernon township the first early settlers
were the two hunters, Jedediah Morehead and
John Pettigon, both of whom built cabins in
the northern part of the township and lived
there with their families, but clearing no land ;
hunting and trapping their sole occupation,
and on the arrival of early settlers they took
their departure.
The first real pioneer in Vernon was George
Byers, who built his cabin on or near the pres-
ent site of the village of West Liberty in 181 7
or 1818. He was more of a hunter than pio-
neer. He trapped bears, wolves and foxes ; in
one winter he secured a hundred mink, be-
sides many coons, a number of beaver and a
few otter, the swampy regions in Vernon mak-
ing it a home for these fur bearing animals, al-
though, like bears, they were not very plenti-
ful. He did some farming, as in 1820 he had
several acres cleared, and as his occupation
was chiefly hunting the size of the clearing in-
dicates he had been there two or three years at
that time. Andrew Dixon and David Ander-
son are both reported as settling in Vernon in
1819. Both of these men became prominent in
the affairs of the township, and many of the
descendants of the Dixons are still in the
township.
In what is. now Jackson township the first
settler was Joseph Russell, who entered land
about a mile south of the present town of
Crestline, and built his cabin there in 1820.
His entire tract was a dense forest, and his
first work was to clear the land for farming
purposes. Soon after he settled there another
pioneer arrived in John Doyle, who entered
a tract near him. Early pioneers mention two
other families of whose names there is no rec-
ord. Of one of these is handed down by the
descendants of Christian Snyder, who settled
in Jefferson township in 181 7, the first fatal ac-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
71
cident among the pioneers. In the clearing oi
the forest the first work of the pioneer was
to fell the trees and cut them into logs; then
the neighbors came willingly from miles
around; the logs were rolled to one or more
points in the clearing, piled into great heaps,
and set on fire. The pioneer had cleared his
ground, the neighbors had responded, and the
fire started. The man himself was keeping
watch to see that the logs were properly
burned, — "mending up" it was called. The
clearing was some distance from his cabin, and
the wife, finishing her evening work, had gone
to bed. In those days, a trail after game, a
visit to some neighbor several miles distant,
might take a man away from home for sev-
eral hours, so there was no anxiety on the part
of the wife when the husband was absent for a
few hours. The next morning her husband not
having arrived she started in search of him,
and found that in attempting to keep the logs
in position on the burning pile, one long heavy
log had fallen, pinned him to the earth, and he
was burned to death.
The first settler in the present township of
JefiFerson was Jacob Fisher, who came in 1816,
settling on land he had entered, just south of
the gravel bank of the Pennsylvania road. He
bought the land for $1.25 per acre, and ar-
rived in a two-horse wagon with his wife and
eight children. His cabin was of unhewn logs,
the usual crude structure, about 18 or 20 feet
in length. He lived there until i86o,^when he
sold out and moved to the newer country of
Missouri.
Westall Ridgley came to the township in
1816 or 1817. He came in a wagon with his
wife and eight children, four sons and four
daughters, some grown. He was well-to-do
for those days and brought cattle and hogs
with him and many useful articles for the
household. He built a large cabin and was
one of the prominent men in the early affairs
of the county. His sons had no love for farm-
ing, and spent their time in the woods on hunt-
ing expeditions with the Indians, but they
brought in the game for the support of the
family. The girls were true pioneers, and
were of much assistance in the house, and at
times in the work of the farm in the busy sea-
son. The forr daughters made the Ridgley
home the popular headquarters of the young
men for miles around.
Christian Snyder came in 181 7, settling on
section 17, purchasing 160 acres of Jacob
Fisher at $3 per acre, some of the land Fisher
had entered the year previous at $1.25. The
family consisted of himself, wife and eleven
children. They drove through from West-
moreland county, Pennsylvania, in a two-
horse wagon, and from Mansfield he came
ahead on foot to erect a cabin prior to their
arrival. The old road from Mansfield started
northwest from that place and after a few
miles turned southwest, following almost the
present Pennsylvania road from Mansfield to
Crestline. When the family came to follow
they took an old trail directly west from Mans-
field, which for a time was passable for their
wagon, but later became only a trail through
the forest, so they were obliged to make a way
for themselves through the woods, cutting
down the small trees, and their trip from Mans-
field to their new home north of Gabon, took
them nearly a month, and about a mile east of
their destination they crossed the old army
road they should have taken. However, the
family were in plenty of time, as Snyder had
experienced some delay in getting to his land,
and the only part of the cabin built on their ar-
rival was the foundation on which a rude floor
had been laid, but on this floor, in the open
air, they spent their first night, and awoke in
the morning to find that a snow-storm had
given them an additional covering of six
inches. The arrival of the new settlers was
soon known, and the neighbors responded, and
the cabin was erected, and even the Indians
made friendly calls and left venison and game
for the newcomers.
In 1 81 8 John Adrian settled west of the
Snyders on section 13, the first Frenchman to
make his home in the county. He did very
little in the way of clearing his land, but
started a distillery instead, the first in the
county. He was a man of tremendous strength
and it is reported of him that he could pick up
a barrel and take his drink from the bung-
hole. It is probable that the frequency with
which he performed this feat for the astonish-
ment of his neighbors, was the reason he be-
came his own best customer, and his distillery
72
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
became, unprofitable and was discontinued.
Besides whisky was then only seven dollars a
barrel. Since that first distillery, whisky in
this county has gone up very largely in price
and gone down very largely in quantity.
About 1818 Lewis Leiberger settled about
two miles north of Gallon, and was joined in
181 9 by James Nail, who entered 160 acres
of Government land at $1.25 per acre adjoin-
ing Leiberger's tract and made his home with
the latter until the fall of 1821, when he mar-
ried a daughter of William Brown, a sister of
Mrs. Leiberger, walking to Delaware to get his
license.
Other settlers in Jefferson prior to 1820
were Thomas Ferguson, J. S. Griswell, and
Peter Beebout, all settling on the high ground
near the Sandusky river.
The first settlers in what is now Polk town-
ship were Benjamin Leveridge and his two
sons, James and Nathaniel. They came in
1817, the latter part of their journey cutting
their way through the woods. Benjamin
Leveridge built his cabin on what is now At-
wood street, near the springs ; James built his
on the ground which for so many years was
the residence of David Mackey; Nathaniel
built his on what is now the Public Square.
His father and brother had water in abundance
from the springs in their neighborhood, but
on the high ground Nathaniel, had no water,
and dug a well, and traces of this old well
were found when the Square was improved
in 1880.
George Wood and David Gill arrived in
1 818, and settled north of the Whetstone, near
the military road of 1812. They were
brothers-in-law and came from Pennsylvania.
Wood was a carpenter and Gill had a much
better education than the average pioneer, and
later taught school and became the clerical of-
ficial for the township.
Benjamin Sharrock came in 1818, and built
himself a temporary cabin in the western part
of the city of Galion near where the Portland
road crosses the Bucyrus and Galion road.
Here his family lived while he walked every
day to his land a few miles south, where on
the banks of the Whetstone he built his cabin,
to which he removed with his family, later
building a saw and grist mill and a distillery.
He became early a prominent man in that sec-
tion.
On Saturday, Dec. 19, 18 19, on foot, with
his axe and his rifle over his shoulder, Asa
Hosford walked into what is now the city of
Galion, of which city, although not the foun-
der, he became the father. He was accom-
panied by his brother Horace, and they stopped
with Benjamin Leveridge. Horace Hosford
erected a blacksmith shop at where is now the
crossing of the Portland and Galion road.
Asa Hosford later built a saw and grist mill
on the Whetstone, southwest of Galion, still
known as Hosford's mill.
Samuel Brown and his son Michael came in
1819, settling on section 27, now the Beltz
farm three miles west of Gralion. One of his
daughters married Lewis Leiberger and an-
other James Nail.
In 1818 Nehemiah Story came with his fam-
ily; his son Nathaniel was of age, and with
them was Father Kitteridge. The first winter
they occupied a cabin belonging to John
Leveridge, southwest of the Public Square, and
the next Spring Nathaniel's home was west of
Galion on the brow of the hill on the north
side of the Galion road, which had been oc-
cupied by a man named Sturges. Father Kit-
teridge made his home with Story, and
devoted all his time to hunting. Other ar-
rivals about this time were J. Dickerson, whose
cabin stood on what is now the Gill property
on West. Main street. David Reid and a man
named Fletcher were also there.
In 1819 Disberry Johnson came to Polk
township, numerically the "star" pioneer of
the county. He came to Ohio after the war of
1812, settling in Harrison county. His wife
died leaving him a widower with six children.
He married a Mrs Cooper, a widow with six
children. By this marriage there was six chil-
dren, and Johnson decided to move to a new
home. One of his daughters was married, so
he started with his wife and his five original
children, the six Cooper children, and the six
Johnson-Cooper children, nineteen in all and'
they settled on section 26, just east of William
Brown. Johnson was prominent in the town-
ship, was Justice of the Peace for many years,
and died in 1868 at the advanced age of 104,
leaving many descendants all over the county.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
73
In 1819 Samuel Knisely settled in Sandusky
township, and since that date the Kniselys have
been prominent in the county, a descendant,
Richard Knisely, being president of the Craw-
ford County Pioneer Association for years.
James Gwell is reported as settling in San-
dusky in 1819 and a man named Elder in 1820.
Samuel Shull settled in Sandusky township in
1820.
No record is found of any pioneer in Cran-
berry township prior to 1820; many hunters
had been all over this region, notably More-
head and Pettigon, living in huts of bark and
brush, but the tide of immigration had ignored
it, and it was still a swampy, virgin soil, the
home of the rattlesnake and the beaver, and
the hiding place for wild game, with its only
product an annual harvest of cranberries.
The eastern portion of the present county
had been purchased from the Indians in 1805,
surveyed in 1807, but owing to the Indians
and the War of 1812 the taking up of this land
was delayed, but from 181 5 on these lands
became settled, and the pioneers in their west-
ward march cast their greedy eyes on the
hunting grounds reserved to the Indians just
beyond, which included all of Northwestern
Ohio, in this county that reservation being
two miles in Cranberry, and all of Liberty and
Whetstone; Lykins, Holmes and Bucyrus,
Texas, Tod and Dallas.
In 1 81 7 Lewis Cass and Duncan McArthur,
met with the sachems, chiefs and warriors of
the Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawanese,
Pottawatomie, Ottawa and Chippewa tribes,
at the foot of the rapids of the Maumee, and on
Sept. 20. 181 7, a treaty was signed by which
the United States secured all this land, all of
northwestern Ohio, barring a few reservations.
The sections of the treaty relating to Craw-
ford were as follows :
Article II. — The Wyandot tribe of Indians, in
consideration of the stipulations herein made, on the
part of the United States, do hereby forever cede to
the United States, the lands comprehended within
the following lines and boundaries: Beginning at a
point on the southern shore of Lake Erie, where the
present Indian boundary line intersects the same, be-
tween the mouth of Sandusky Bay and the Portage
rfver, thence running south* with said line to the
*The line passing through Crawford was the
present dividing line between Sandusky, Jefferson
and Polk on the east and Liberty and Whetstone on
the west. In Cranberry the line ran about one and
a half miles east of the present western boundary of
that township.
line establishedt in the year one thousand seven
hundred and ninety-five by the treaty of Greenville
which runs from the crossing place above Ft. Laur-
enst to Loromie's store; II thence westerly with the
last mentioned line to the eastern line of the reserve
at Loromie's store; thence with the line of said re-
serve north and west to the northwest corner there-
of; thence to the northwestern corner of the reserve
on the river St. Mary's at the navigable head there-
of; thence east to the western bank of the St. Marys
river aforesaid; thence down the western bank of
said river to the reserve at Ft. Wayne; thence with
the line of the last mentioned reserve, easterly and
northerly, to the river Miami* of Lake Erie; thence
down on the north bank of said river to the western
line of the land ceded to the United States by the
treaty of Detroit, in the year one thousand eight
hundred and seven; thence with the said line south
to the middle of said Maumee river, and easterly
with the line of the tract ceded to the United States
by the treaty of Detroit aforesaid, so far that a
south line will strike the place of beginning.
Article III. — The Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware,
Shawanese, Pottawatomie, Ottawa and Chippewa
tribes of Indians accede to the cession mentioned.
Article VI. — The United States agree to grant by
patent, in fee simple, to Doanquod, Howoner, Ron-
tondee, Tauyau, Rontayau, Dawatont Manocue,
Tauyaudautauson, and Haudawaugh, chiefs of the
Wyandot tribes, and their successors in office, chiefs
of the said tribes, for the use of the persons, and for
the purposes mentioned in the annexed schedule, a
tract of land twelve miles square, at Upper San-
dusky, the center of which shall be the place where
Fort Ferree stands; and also a tract of one mile
square, to be located where the chiefs direct, on a
cranberry swamp on Brokensword creek, and to be
held for the use of the tribe.
Article VII. — And the said chiefs, or their suc-
cessors may, at any time they may think proper,
convey to either of the persons mentioned in said
schedule, or his heirs, the quantity thereby secured
to him, or may refuse to do so. But the use of the
said land shall be in the said person; and after the
share of any person is conveyed by the chiefs to
him, he may convey the same to any person what-
ever. And any one entitled by the said schedule to
a portion of the said land, may, at any time, convey
the same to any person, by obtaining the approba-
tion of the president of the United States, or of the
person appointed by him to give such approbation.
And the agent of the United States shall make an
equitable partition of the said shares when conveyed.
Article VIII. — At the special request of the said
Indians the United States agree to grant by patent,
in fee simple, to the persons hereinafter mentioned,
all of whom are connected with the said Indians, by
blood or adoption, the tracts of land herein de-
scribed;
To Elizabeth Whitacre, who was taken prisoner
by the Wyandots, and has since lived among them,
1280 acres of land. (This land was near Fremont,
Sandusky county.)
To Robert Armstrong, who was taken prisoner
by the Indians, and has ever since lived among them,
tAbout one mile east of Cardington, Morrow
county.
t Northern boundary Tuscarawas county.
llWestern part Shelby county.
*Maumee River.
74
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
and has married a Wyandot woman, 640 acres.
(This land is now a part of Tiffin.)
To the children of the late William McCollock,
who was killed in August, 1812, near Maugaugon,
and who are quarter-blood Wyandot Indians, 640
acres. (This land is now a part of Tiffin.)
To John Vanmeter, who was taken prisoner by
the Wyandots, and who has since lived among them,
and has married a Seneca woman, and to his wife's
three brothers, Senecas, 1,000 acres. (This land was
on the Honey Creek, Seneca county.)
To Sarah Williams, Joseph Williams and Rachel
Nugent, lat^ Rachel Williams, the said Sarah having
been taken prisoner by the Indians, and has ever
since lived among them, and being the widow, and
the said Joseph and Rachel being the children, of
the late Isaac Williams, a half-blood Wyandot, 160
acres. (This land was on the Sandusky, below Fre-
mont.)
To Catharine Walker, a Wyandol woman, and to
John R. Walker, her son, who was wounded m the
service of the United States, at the battle of Mau-
gaugon, in 1812, 640 acres of land each. (This land
-jras on the Honey Creek, near Tiffin.)
To William Spicer, who was taken prisoner by
the Indians, and has ever since lived among tlem,
and has married a Seneca woman, 640 acres or. the
east bank of the Sandusky.
To Horonu, or the "Cherokee Boy," a Wyandot
chief, 640 acres. (This land was where the Tym-
pchtee empties into the Sandusky.)
Article XV. — The tracts of land being granted to
the chiefs, for the use of the Wyandot, Shawanese,
Seneca and Delaware Indians, and the reserve for
the Ottawa Indians, shall not be liable to taxes of
any kind so long as such land contiftues the property
of said Indians.
Article XIX. — The United States agree to grant
by patent, in fee simple, to Zeeshawan, or John
Armstrong, and to Sanondoyourayquaw, or Silas
Armstrong, chiefs of the Delaware Indians, living on
the Sandusky waters, and their successors in office,
chiefs of the said tribe, a tract of land to contain
nine square miles, to join the tract granted to the
Wyandots of twelve miles square, and to include
Capt. Pipe's village.*
The reservation of twelve miles square was
all in what was originally Crawford county.
Its eastern boundary was about three-quarters
of a mile west of the present western boundary
of the county.
By this treaty the United States were to pay
the Wyandots a perpetual annuity of $4,000;
the Senecas, $500; the Shawanese, $2,000 an-
nually for fifteen years; the Chippewas $1,000
annually for fifteen years ; the Delawares, $500,
but no annuity. The Government also agreed
to pay for property and other losses sustained
by the Indians during the war of 1812-15: to
the Wyandots, $4,319.39; Senecas, $3,989.24;
Delawares, $3,956.50; Shawanese, $420; and
*This village was the present village of Little
Sandusky, in southern Wyandot, a part of Crawford
from 1820 to 1845.)
to the Senecas an additional sum of $219; to
Indians at Lewis' and Scoutash's towns, $1,-
227.50; to the representatives of Hembis,
$348.50. The Shawanese were also to receive
$2,500 under the treaty of Fort Industry in
1805. The United States were also to erect a
saw and grist mill for the Wyandots, and to
provide and maintain two blacksmith shops,
one for the Wyandots and Senecas, and the
other for the Indians at Hog Creek, t The
value of improvements abandoned by the
tribes when they left their land was to be paid
for. *The land bought by the United States of
the Indians was a tract as large as about one-
third of the State of Ohio. It proved to be an
excellent and, profitable bargain — for the
United States. They secured something over
ten million acres, which they soon placed on
the market at $1.25 per acre and upward.
The reservation of twelve miles square was
all in what is now Wyandot county. But a
supplemental treaty was made to this original
treaty on Sept. 17, 1818, between Lewis Cass
and Duncan McArthur, the Commissioners for
the United States, and the sachems, chiefs and
warriors of the Wyandot, Seneca, Shawanese
and Ottawa tribes.
When the original treaty was made in 181 7,
the Wyandots positively refused to sell their
land. Most of the other Indian nations were
willing to sell, and promptly set up a claim of
ownership to much of the land which belonged
to the Wyandots, and agreed to sell the land
to the Commissioners. The Wyandots denied
these ownerships and called attention to the
fact that at all previous treaties these same
tribes were at the front with their fraudulent
claims, when in reality nearly all the land
they had they only occupied through the
courtesy of the Wyandots, who were the
sole and only owners of the land. The
Commissioners preferred buying of the Wy-
andots, but as they absolutely refused to sell,
the Commissioners decided to buy it of the
other tribes. It was in vain that Between-the-
Logs, the orator of the Wyandots, protested
on behalf of his tribe, calling attention to the
fact that when their American father was at
war with their enemies, the English, the great
American chief made his home on the land of
tHardin County.
jBJI
' "^^nH^^^I
Hr
^^^^^B
^^
"•^l .'^ipH|
Hk-
'■^I^^fe^ '~J
HHtti
■j< .< <*— !:^t?^!WBHMBMfe?' '•'^jwl
H^^F
o
Hp^
w
^^
l>
>j?\L-.
^
^^^k
fei
^^Mgs
o
^■^^1
^K^
t)
B^
o
^^^^■p^ »F**- . '^>v;wH|
^^^
o
W^B^ i
d
WK^' ' 'f^.^
tei
/ , *T?7 _^SSb[
^Bi
H
^Hm«f«
K
aW
19^
h- (
fe;
I^HH
^^V^
1^
i^^S^^jtaftpSSi
"^^ 1
M
•1 A,
k!
H
^^^^HH^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B
«^
1
K
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
77
the Wyandots during that war ; that the Wyan-
dots were the only tribe that remained loyal to
their American father, and in the latter part of
that war it was Wyandot braves who fought
side by side with their American friends, and
at the request of the American father delivered
all their prisoners to the great general un-
harmed. The land had to be had, so the elo-
quence of Between-the-Logs was useless, and
finding their land would certainly be taken,
the Wyandots made the best of a bad bargain
by signing the treaty, and so came in for a
share of the payments.
That winter Between-the-Logs and several
other chiefs and warriors of the Wyandot,
Seneca and Delaware tribes, took "the long
trail" east, and one morning presented them-
selves before the Secretary of war at Washing-
ton. The Secretary was very much surprised
at their call, and his first words were a mild
rebuke that they had come to Washington
without his first having received word from
the Commissioners of their intended visit.
Between-the-Logs tersely replied : "We got up
and came of ourselves. We believed the great
road was free to us."
They explained why they had felt com-
pelled to sign the treaty as the only way of
protecting a part of their rights ; that the Com-
missioners had not treated them fairly, and
without their knowledge they had come to the
"Great Father" for justice. The Secretary
looked the matter up and took them before the
"Great Father," President Monroe, who lis-
tened patiently to Between-the-Log's eloquent
plea for justice for his people. It was found
a wrong had been done the Wyandots, so in-
structions were sent to the Commissioners to
rectify this wrong, and the supplemental treaty
was made at St. Mary's, on Sept. 17, 1818.
Article two of the supplemental treaty says :
"It is also agreed there shall be reserved for the
use of the Wyandots, in addition to the reservation
before made, fifty-five thousand six hundred and
eighty acres of land to be laid off in two tracts, the
first to adjoin the south line of the section of 640
acres of land heretofore reserved for the Wyandot
chief, "Cherokee Boy," and to extend south to the
north line of the reserve of twelve miles square at
Upper Sandusky, and the other to join the east line
of the' reserve of twelve miles square at Upper San-
dusky, and to extend east for quantity."
They were also to receive sixteen thousand
acres of land, commencing: a mile north of the
present town of Carey and extending into
Seneca county, a tract five miles square; also
160 acres in Sandusky county. The Wyandots
were also to receive an additional annuity of
$500; the Shawanese $1,000; the Senecas $500,
and the Ottawas $1,500.
Of the 55,680 acres, 2,240 was in the grant
south of that given to Cherokee Boy. The
balance was attached to the twelve mile square
reservation on the east. This tract entered
the present Crawford county just north of the
half section line of section 35 in Dallas town-
ship, continued east through sections 31 and
32 in Bucyrus township and nearly to the
centre of section 33 (the south line was a
little over half a mile north of the. southern
boundary of Bucyrus township) ; it then went
north twelve miles through sections 28, 21, 16,
9 and 4 Bucyrus township, a trifle over two
miles west of the present western line of the
city of Bucyrus; through sections 33, 28, 21,
16, 9 and 4 Holmes township, three quarters of
a mile west of Brokensword ; continued north
a trifle over three quarters of a mile in section
33 Lykins ; then west through sections 32 and
31 Lykins and 36 and 35 Texas, about three
quarters of a mile south of Benton. This
reserved to the Indians about the western two
and a half miles of Bucyrus and Holmes, the
northern two miles of western Dallas, the
southern half mile of Lykins and Texas, and all
of Tod, barring it to settlement, except that
with the consent of the Government the In-
dians could sell the land.
The treaty of September, 181 7, with the
supplementary treaty of a year later opened
to settlement all of northwestern Ohio, except
that reserved to the Indians, about 225 square
miles. In 18 19 it was surveyed by Sylvester
Bourne and Samuel Holmes. The new terri-
tory was known as the New Purchase, and al-
though there was still plenty of land unoc-
cupied that had been purchased from the In-
dians in 1805, yet the fact of new land being
thrown on the market gave it to the settlers a
sort of superior value and a feeling that it was
a choicer article. Even before the surveyors
had completed their work sufficient to place
the land on the market at the land offices, set-
tlers were in the New Purchase looking up
land.
The first settler to enter the New Purchase
78
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
was Samuel Norton. With him were his wife
and six children; his brother-in-law Albigence
Bucklin, with a wife, six children and an
adopted daughter; and Seth Holmes, their
driver and guide. These first pioneers drove
through from their home in Eastern Pennsyl-
vania, a distance of about 600 miles, in a large
schooner wagon, and arrived in October, 1819,
the Nortons locating their home on the banks
of the Sandusky, west of the present Sandusky
avenue bridge at Bucyrus, land now owned by
Christian Shonert; Bucklin and family were
also on the banks of the Sandusky between the
brewery and the T. & O. C. road. (Up to half
a century ago the main channel of the river
was at the foot of the bluff back of the brew-
ery.) Seth Holmes made his first headquar-
ters in an abandoned cabin that was standing
where is now the court house yard. A family
by the name of Sears were the next arrivals,
locating just west of Oakwood cemetery; they
remained only a short time and removed to
parts unknown. Daniel McMichael came in
1 819, and stopped for a time in the eastern
part of the county (what is now Polk town-
ship), near where Norton and Bucklin also left
their families until they could find land that
suited them. After Norton had selected his
land, McMichael came to the same section and
entered land just north of the river; also land
in the southwest corner of Liberty township,
where he built a mill. In the Spring of 1820
David Beadle came with two sons, Michel and
David, and a son-in-law John Ensley, who mar-
ried Ann Beadle. Michel was married, and
had 80 acres on West Mansfield street, just
west of Norton, and south of this his father had
80 acres, his son David, a young man of 18,
making his home with him.
In 1820 Ralph Bacon settled on the east half
of the south east quarter of section 25 in
Liberty. township. With him and his family
came Auer Umberfield as a teamster.
In 1 819 John Kent settled in Whetstone
township, and in 1820 he was followed by
Joseph S. Young, Noble McKinstry, Martin
Shaffner and a man named Willowby.
In Dallas township in 1820 were George
Walton, G. H. Busby, Matthew Mitchell and
Samuel Line.
In Chatfield township in 1820, Jacob Whet-
stone had erected a cabin and cleared some
land. His occupation was that of a hunter;
he wandered all over that section and never
settled permanently in any one location.
As early as 1820 no pioneer had settled in
Cranberry, Lykins, Holmes, Texas or Tod.
In 1820 there were about sixty known fam-
ilies in Crawford county, and counting all the
members of those families there must have
been between five and six hundred people in
what is now Crawford. Heading the list was
Disberry Johnson of Polk with a wife and 17
children, while on the section adjoining was
Samuel Brown with a wife and several chil-
dren, so that in 1820 the metropolis of Craw-
ford county was in western Polk. Christian
Snyder was in Jefferson township with a wife
and eleven children, and in the same township
was Westall Ridgley and Jacob Fisher each
with a wife and eight children. In Bucyrus
was Samuel Norton with a wife and six chil-
dren, and Albigence Bucklin with a wife and
seven children, one an adopted daughter. The
"metropolis" (the largest population in one
section), only remained in western Polk for
about a year when the settlement of Bucyrus
transferred it to that place, where it remained
until the census of 1870 transferred it to
Gallon, where it remained for forty years until
the census of 19 10 again transferred it to
Bucyrus.
The early pioneers came from New Eng-
land and Pennsylvania and New York with a
few from Virginia. They came in wagons
drawn by one horse or a yoke of oxen, some-
times a two horse wagon, always weeks on the
trip and sometimes months, and with the ex-
ception of a very few all took up their claims
in the forest where the land had to be first
cleared to give them the ground for the raising
of their crops.
Having selected his land the first work of
the pioneer was the erection of some shelter
for the protection of himself and family.
Sometimes the pioneer left his family with
friends or relatives in one of the eastern coun-
ties, and came on foot with his axe and rifle,
erected his little cabin, and returned for his
family. ^ The cabins were all of logs, the
"lean-to" the most primitive, which was
simply a three-sided shelter, built of saplings,
and very small logs, sloping to the ground at
the rear, with only the two sides and the slop-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
79
ing roof, the front being hung with skins as a
protection from the wind and rain. These
cabins were similar to the hunters' "camps,"
and in only a very few cases did the early pio-
neers of Crawford start with so crude a shel-
ter.
The early pioneers brought very little with
them except large families; some had practic-
ally nothing ; others had a few chickens, a few
hogs, sometimes a cow, and some no more stock
than the horse or the yoke of oxen that had
brought them on their long and toilsome jour-
ney in the one wagon. Some came on foot,
carrying their little all on their backs.
With the first pioneers in the different sec-
tions it was impossible to build a cabin of very
large logs. The first arrival selected his site,
cut down the smaller trees, and from these
made the logs which he could handle alone,
and with these logs he built his home, chinked
up the cracks with mud, covered it with sap-
lings and brush, and had a place to live. As
neighbors came within a radius of several miles
the pioneer had an easier task. He selected his
site on some dry ground, near a stream or
spring that would furnish him with water, a
site where most of the trees were of the uni-
form thickness for the logs he desired; these
trees he felled himself, cut them into logs of
the proper length, beveling the ends so they
might fit as closely together as possible.
Everything being in readiness the neighbors
came, and the cabin was erected by strong and
willing hands, the pioneer adding the roof, and
also the door and perhaps a window at his leis-
ure. The general size of these earlier cabins
was 14 to 16 feet long, with a heighth of six
to eight feet. The ground logs were first
placed in position, and on these the additional
logs were piled, the beveling and notching of
the logs holding them in place at the corners.
As the cabin increased in height, these logs, a
foot in diameter, had to be lifted into position,
which was done by the strong arms of the men,
some with hand spikes and skid-poles, and
when it came to the gable logs at the ends,
each shorter than the one below it, they had to
be held in place until the ridge pole and cross
pieces were in position. In the erection of the
cabin the responsible positions were the cor-
ner-men, men with a clear head and a quick eye,
expert with the axe, who notched the logs as
they were lifted into place. The building of
these cabins was not without danger, for some-
times, fortunately seldom, a heavy log slipped
from the hand-spikes or the skid-poles, while
strong arms beneath were shoving it into posi-
tion, and an accident occurred, a broken arm
or leg of some one caught beneath the heavy
log. Sometimes a life lost. Leveridge was
killed at a cabin raising where the city of
Gallon now stands, and a year or two later, in
1822, Heman Rowse was crushed to death by
a falling log at a cabin raising a mile south of
Bucyrus.
The cabin erected, the pioneer put on his
own roof, made of clap-boards, cut as thin as
he could make them with an axe or an adze,
and over the cracks a second layer. He
chinked and daubed the sides, filling in the
cracks between the logs with moss and sticks,
plastering it with mud, both inside and out-
side the cabin. This daubing had to be re-
newed nearly every year, as the rain softened
the mud and washed it away. The chimney
was built on the outside, at one end of the
cabin. The base of the chimney was gen-
erally of irregular stones, plastered with mud,
while the upper portion was sticks laid rail-
pen or corn-cob fashion and plastered with
mud. Sometimes where stone was scarce, the
entire chimney was of sticks plastered with
mud. The fire-place was sometimes so large
that logs six to seven feet in length could be
burned in it, the "back log" being so heavy it
had to be towefl or snaked into the cabin by a
horse, and it took strong arms to roll it into
position, where it would burn for a week.
There was an advantage to the pioneer to
keep a roaring fire, as all the wood he burned
meant so much more of his land cleared.
The door was a crude structure, the logs
being cut away in the front of the house, and
the door made of lumber roughly split from
the logs with bars across to hold it together,
and hung with wooden or leather hinges. A
wooden bolt was inside the cabin, which fitted
into a groove, and this bolt could be raised
from the outside by means of a latch-string
of deer hide, which- ran through a little hole
above the bolt, and hung outside, hence the ex-
pression, "the latch string is always out." All
that was necessary to lock up the house was to
draw the string inside, but this was seldom
80
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
done even at night. After his cabin was
erected the pioneer took his time to building
his door, and until this was done, the opening
was covered with skins to keep out the wind
and rain, and a large fire kept burning on the
outside at night to keep away the wild animals
that were prowling through the forest. If a
window was added a small section of the logs
was cut away, the same as for the door, and
the opening was covered with greased paper or
the thin skin of some animal, glass was too ex-
pensive, besides there was none to be had in
the early days in the wilderness.
In fact nearly every one of the earlier cabins
was completed and occupied for years with not
a nail or a screw or a piece of metal used in its
construction; everything of wood and leather,
and that leather the skin of some animal of the
forest.
Some cabins had the bare ground for a floor ;
others had a puncheon floor, boards split from
logs and smoothed as well as the work could be
done with an axe. If a small article slipped
through the cracks all that was necessary was
to raise one of the puncheons and recover the
missing article. If the cabin was of sufificient
height, it boasted of a loft, puncheon boards
being laid across where the slope of the roof
commenced. This made a sleeping place for
the children, and was reached by climbing up
a ladder and through a hole cut in the boards.
This was also the guest chamber, the visitor
mounting the ladder to his sleeping apartment
and crawling on hands and knees to his bed,
which consisted of a tick stuffed with dried
leaves, with plenty of skins and furs. Here he
could listen to the pleasant patter of the rain
on the clapboard roof, sleep soundly, and in
the morning at the rear of the cabin find a
wooden washbowl, get his own water from
the spring or well, and prepare himself for the
wholesome breakfast.
Some of the early pioneers brought small
articles of furniture with them, but in most
cases much of it was made by hand after
their arrival. The table was a wide board,
carved with an axe and supported by legs cut
from small saplings; the bed was made the
same way, and the primitive cupboard with its
few rough shelves was handmade. On these
shelves were the dishes ; the one or two cook-
ing utensils of iron or pewter ; the few dishes
brought from the old home, and the others of
wood, made in the evening from the buckeye;
plates and saucers and basins of wood. Oc-
casionally there were knives and forks, but not
enough to go around, and wooden ones took
their place, the hunting-knife of the pioneer
being the carving knife for the meal.
Game was abundant, and without leaving
his little clearing the early pioneer could easily
secure an abundant supply of meat; deer and
turkey were plentiful; so were the smaller
game, rabbit and squirrel, but powder and ball
were too expensive to waste in killing these,
except in case of absolute necessity. Br,ead
was the scarce article and at times had to be
used sparingly. After his first crop the pio-
neer diet was game, potatoes and cornbread,
with cranberries, honey and dried apples as the
luxuries. On important occasions they in-
dulged in wheat bread, and even served tea.
There were no stoves, and the cooking was
done in the large fire-place, the kettles or pots
hung on an iron or wooden crane suspended
over the fire. The frying pan had a long
wooden handle, and was used for cooking both
the meat and the corn cakes, either held over
the fire or placed on a bed of burning coals
drawn out over the hearth.
Bread was baked in a covered "bake ket-
tle," and under and over it was a bed of burn-
ing coals constantly renewed. Later, many
pioneers had a bake oven built of stones and
mud near the cabin. Sometimes the bread was
baked in the hot ashes underneath the fire, or
on a board tipped up in front of the fire. It
was in this manner the true "hoe cake" was
baked, the broad hoe being used for the pur-
pose, which gave it its name; also called
"johnny-cake," a corruption of journey cake,
bread in convenient shape for taking on a
journey. Corn was the staple article of diet,
and was cooked in several ways : it was made
into hominy or boiled into mush; cooked in
a covered oven as corn pone; cooked in front
of the fire as johnny-cake, or cooked in round
balls as corn dodgers. Like the old New Eng-
land woman who never baked anything but ap-
ple pies, she always responded to inquiries as
to what kind of pies she had, that she had
three kinds: "open-faced, kivered, and criss-
crossed." The pioneers had the same variety
in their corn-bread; and it was a variety, as
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
81
the various ways of cooking gave a different
taste to the bread. There were times after the
husband had returned from one of his long
journeys to the mill that the good house wife
became the envy of her neighbors by actually
serving them with wheat bread when they
called.
Potatoes, both Irish and sweet, were baked
in the ashes, and although the ashes had to be
brushed off, this manner of cooking was then,
as it is today, the most palatable and whole-
some way of preparing the food. A haunch of
venison, a piece of pork or beef, and turkeys
were cooked by suspending in front of the fire,
and constantly turning them, while beneath
was a pan which caught the drippings.
Before mills were within easy reach, every
pioneer was his own miller, and ground his
own grain. His mill consisted of a solid stump
into which he cut or burned a hole in the shape
of a mortar, and in this placed a quaritity of
corn, and with a heavy block of wood or stone
pulverized the grain by constant pounding. A
more advanced way was to have the pounder
attached to the end of a pole like a well-sweep,
so that heavier pounding could be done and
a larger quantity of grain pulverized more
rapidly. In this way sometimes half a bushel
of corn could be placed in the hollowed out
stump at one time. The grain once pulverized
it was sifted into three different grades for
use, the coarser grade requiring six to eight
hours of cooking before it was thoroughly
prepared for food. These stump mills were
known as Indian mills, and for centuries all
the grain used by the Indians had been ground
by the squaws in this manner.
If the pioneer had not located beside a
stream or spring, his first business was to dig
a well ; water was generally to be found in this
county at a very few feet. The well was lined
with stones of all sizes, plastered with clay,
and a well-sweep easily constructed; — a long
heavy pole hinged in a fork at the top of a
tall pole, and a rope or chain to which the
bucket was attached. It was a very simple
contrivance and the water could easily be
drawn from the bottom of the well. In parts
of the county, notably the plains, the wells
were made by sinking a hollow sycamore into
the ground, but the water was a very poor
article, and generally very unhealthy; some-
times the well was made of wood.
Having prepared a place iii which to live,
the next business of the pioneer was the clear-
ing of his land, and the trees were felled and
cut into logs. He then secured game in abun-
dance from the surrounding forest, went to the
nearest settlement, sometimes a two days'
journey, where he secured what provisions he
must buy, and the whisky, which was re-
garded as a necessity in those days. Every-
thing being in readiness, the neighbors came
from miles around, and willing hands soon
rolled the heavy logs into piles, making sport
of the work by dividing the party into two
sides and separating the logs equally, each side
endeavoring to be the first to pile up their
logs, the victors being rewarded by the first
drink from the jug, while the thirsty van-
quished patiently awaited their turn. The im-
mense piles were set on fire, and walnut and
wild cherry, oak and maple, and ash and
hickory, worth more today many times over
than is the land itself, were burned as useless.
Inside the cabin the women had not been idle,
and the rough hand-made table was covered
with good wholesome food to which perfect
health and the best of appetites did ample
justice, and a dance generally followed, in
which old and young alike joined. To these
gatherings at the call of some new neighbor,
every pioneer was glad to respond. They gave
their time willingly, and freely and frequently.
One of the pioneers in his notes of these early
days says that in one year he put in twenty-
nine days responding to calls for assistance at
cabin-raisings and log-rollings.*
The wifely duties did not stop at the cook-
ing. To her also fell the preparation of much
of the clothing for the family, she doing the
spinning and the weaving. The spinning
wheel was to be found in nearly every cabin on
which the yarn or the flax was spun. Some
early settlers brought sheep, but there was no
protecting them from the wolves, and it was
years before any sheep could be raised in the
county. From Knox county, and what is now
Morrow, the pioneers made long journeys
through the wilderness, and brought back a
few pounds of wool. This was carded and
♦John O. Blowers, Liberty township.
82
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
made into rolls by hand cards, and the rolls
spun on the wheel. A common article of ap-
parel was the linsey-woolsey, the chain warp
being linen and the filling or woof of wool.
This made the dresses for the women and
girls, and jeans were woven for the men's
clothing. The skins of the deer and the coon
were made into garments for the men, and
even the little girls sometimes had dresses of
fawn skins, colored and fringed and prettily
picturesque. These homemade fabrics were
dyed with walnut, indigo or copperas, and
striped or checkered goods were easily made
by dying the yarns the different colors before
they were placed in the looms.
The pioneer was also his own shoemaker
and hatter, tanning his own hides in a vat
made of a hollow log sunk in the ground, and
in the evening by the fireside making his own
shoes, and those for the family.
The costume of the men was a hunting-
shirt hanging loose, made of skins or of woolen
made by his wife. It was a sort of blouse,
belted at the waist, and inside this loose blouse
was the storehouse for his day's provisions
and any small articles he might need; his
breeches were of deer skin, comfortable and
warm in dry weather, but in wet weather very
uncomfortable and disagreeable, and then it
was that at night he never threw them on the
floor, but when he succeeded in getting them
off, leaned them against the wall for use in the
morning, when he again put them on with the
same ease and comfort that a man might ex-
perience in incasing his legs in a couple of
stove pipes. His shoes were of his own make,
as heavy a sole as possible, with the tops made
of skins reaching above the ankles and laced
with thongs of deer skin. In summer he used
the softer moccasin. His head was covered
with a coonskin cap, or a hat made of the skin
of some animal, cured and pressed by himself,
and made into whatever shape or style that best
suited his fancy.
The women were clothed mostly in linsey
woolsey garments made by themselves of the
raw material ; a linen waist of flax they them-
selves had spun; heavy shoes and stockings,
all home made, and in winter gloves of buck-
skin made by themselves.
As late as 1845 a young boy came to Bucyrus
from one of the townships to get the advan-
tage of the better schools the village afforded
and he wore his coonskin cap and buckskin
breeches, his shoes being home-made by his
father or himself, and forty years after this a
familiar figure on the streets of Bucyrus was
one of the pioneers always wearing his deer-
skin vest.*
On his first cleared land the pioneer planted
wheat, corn and potatoes, a few other veg-
etables, and a small patch of flax from which
to make the clothing. Some had a crude plow
they had brought with them ; others made their
own, and the harrow was also of their own
make, sometimes rough brush drawn over the
ground. The grain was harvested with a
sickle or scythe, the former being the most con-
venient on account of the many stumps, and
near these stumps the hunting knife was used.
The wheat was threshed by spreading it on the
barn floor, and having the patient oxen tramp
it out, or the pioneer with his heavy shoes
doing the work himself by tramping, or with a
flail. It was winnowed by taking a heavy
sheet and with men at the corners swing it
rapidly over the grain, creating a wind to blow
away the chaff, if the pioneer had to depend on
himself alone, he selected a day with a good
wind, and filling a bucket with the grain held
it as high above his head as his arras could
reach, and slowly poured it out, the wind blow-
ing away the chafif. Two or three pourings
soon had the heavier wheat fairly separated
from the lighter chafif.
Prior to 1820 there was not a grist mill in
Crawford county, so the pioneer pounded his
own grain into the best flour he could in his
hollow stump, sometimes using a hand mill
similar to our old-fashioned coffee mills. In
this it took an industrious housewife several
hours to grind a very little quantity of meal.
Another device for corn in an emergency was
the grater — jagged holes punched in a piece of
tin or iron, and taking an ear of corn rubbing
it over the rough edges. It took about four
hours by this process to get enough meal to
give each member of the family a very small
taste pf corn-bread in the morning. Some of
the pioneers state there were times when the
*Thomas Fuhrman, father of Mrs. Geo. Donnen-
wirth and Mrs. A. J. High.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
83
cornmeal was so scarce that the family were
all put on an allowance.* With the early set-
tlers the nearest mill was miles away, the prin-
cipal ones being at New Haven in Huron
county; Fredericktown and Mt. Vernon in
Knox county; one three miles southeast of
Mansfield, and another at Lexington in Rich-
land county. There were no roads, only trails
through the forest, and the settler loaded his
sacks of grain on the horse and started for the
mill, leading his horse the entire distance,
sometimes compelled to wait his turn at the
mill. The trip took two to four days. The
return journey he might ride, as the load of
the horse was much lighter the miller having
taken from a fourth to a half of the grinding
as his share. If the pioneer had no horse, he
made the long journey on foot, carrying what
grain he could on his back. Very soon mills
were started nearer home, generally a horse
mill, run by horse or ox power, erected by some
enterprising settler for his own use ; to this the
neighbors came, using their own horses or
oxen to furnish the power to run the mill. The
mills were very crude in construction, and
sometimes four horses had to be attached to
move the clumsy machinery. It was also slow
work and the meal ground very coarse. Water
mills were built along the little streams, but
on account of the smallness of the streams in
this county when there was enough water to
run the mills, the ground was almost impass-
able, and during the summer season when the
trails could be used, there was no water in the
streams and the mills were idle, and in the
dead of winter the streams were frozen, so the
pioneer had difficulty in keeping a supply of
meal on hand. It was years before the condi-
tions of the roads improved in many sections,
and as late as 1845, E. B. Monnett now living
in Bucyrus, started with a four-horse team
from his father's farm in Dallas township with
half a dozen sacks of wheat to be ground at
the mill at Wyandot. Small as the load was
the team was stalled, and he had to secure ad-
ditional help to get the wagon through the
marshy ground. As late as 1837 when the
farmer took his load of grain to Sandusky it
took from six to seven days to make the trip
on account of the bad roads; he received his
" *Lewis Cary, Bucyrus.
50 to 60 cents a . bushel for his wheat, and
brought back a consignment of goods for some
merchant for which he was paid about 50 cents
a hundred pounds. Goods for the eastern part
of the county and some for Bucyrus were
hauled overland from Philadelphia and Balti-
more. Generally for Bucyrus they came by
water to Sandusky, and were hauled from
there by land. The freight charges reached as
high at times as four dollars a hundred pounds
so nothing but absolute necessaries could be
shipped.
With the early pioneers there was an abun-
dance of game, but as the county became more
populated game became scarcer, but the
pioneer had brought with him cattle and hogs.
The hogs ran at large, fattening on the nuts
and grass of the forest; on the rattlesnakes
and small vermin, and they became wild.
While wolves prevented the raising of sheep,
experience soon taught them to let the wild
hogs severely alone, and even the few bears
found discretion the better part of valor and
left the hogs to root in peace, and unless very
hungry never molested them. Each farmer
had a special mark for his hogs, but in their
wild state they were very prolific, and many of
them were practically common property. As
to those marked and half wild, sometimes a
pioneer was near-sighted and failed to recog-
nize the mark of his neighbor on the hog he
had shot — but in the main they were honest
and the wild hogs of the forest and the rapidly
increasing stock of cattle made up for the con-
stant lessening of the wild game.
Another plentiful thing was honey, which
could be gathered by the pioneer himself or
purchased of the Indians or the bee-hunters.
The Indians also supplied the pioneers with an
abundance of cranberries when in season.
Many of the pioneers became experts in bee-
hunting, marked the trees in the summer, and
in the autumn gathered the harvest, which was
not only a welcome addition to the family pro-
visions, but was an article almost sure to bring
cash in the market, 50 cents a gallon.
There was very little money in those days,
business being carried on by exchange, the
storekeeper being the clearing house. He
gave the pioneer credit of about a cent a pound
for the hogs he delivered, and two cents for
his cattle; 25 cents each for his coon and mink
84
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
skins, and $i for a deer hide ; 40 cents a bushel
for his wheat and three cents a dozen for his
eggs and the same price per pound for his but-
ter, and sometimes would not take his butter
and eggs at any price, but he was glad to get
the honey at fifty cents per gallon. In return
he charged his customer with $2 to $3 a pound
for tea, and very few charges too as not many
could afford the luxury of tea; 75 cents a
pound for coffee; $5 for a barrel of salt that
weighed 50 pounds; $2 a pound for powder
and 25 cents a pound for lead; $1 a yard for
calicoes and prints; and the only cheap thing
was the whisky at fifty cents a gallon. Every-
body used it in those days and it was regarded
as more of a necessity in the house than tea or
coffee, and few social gatherings were complete
without it. Money was not an absolute neces-
sity as even the county officials, with a salary
of $50 to $100 a year, were in some other
business, and taxes could be, and were, paid in
skins or produce, which the treasurer turned
into cash. The merchant, too, when he sent
his skins and produce to the market, exchanged
them for the goods he needed, paying or re-
ceiving the balance in cash.
On the arrival of a neighbor a trail was
blazed through the woods so the nearest fam-
ilies could visit back and forth without getting
lost in the forest, and the women folks made
their friendly calls. Then it was the hostess
did the honors, proudly displaying all her little
cabin possessed. In one case all the newcomer
could boast of in the line of a cooking vessel
was a solitary pewter pot, but it was bright
and glistening from the polishings it received
through its constant use. But to her it was
enough. She placed it on the fire, and in it the
pork was tried into lard, and in the same ves-
sel the cakes were fried in the lard; it was
washed and cleaned and in it the short cakes
were baked ; then it was used as a bucket, taken
to the spring and filled with water, again
placed on the fire and the water boiled, and it
being her first "state occasion" a little tea was
taken from her meagre store and the meal
served to her first guest in her new home, all
prepared in the one and only cooking vessel
she possessed.
Strangers were always welcome and every
traveler received a hospitable reception. If he
was in search of a location he was doublv wel-
come, and the pioneer dropped his work to
show his visitor all the best sites in the neigh-
borhood that were yet on the market, and if
the stranger did enter land in that section
he was welcome to bring his wife and family
of half a dozen children to make their home
with him until he and his sons and the neigh-
bors had erected a cabin for the newcomer. If
a settler arrived in the fall the neighbors all
kept a careful watch that he suffered for noth-
ing until he could clear his ground and raise
a crop of his own. It was not uncommon to
make jthe newcomer a present of land to induce
him to locate in their neighborhood, and in
one case in this county a pioneer induced a
man to remain by selling him eighty acres off
his own land for $100, taking his pay in a note
due in one hundred years without interest.*
The note is not yet due, but will be in 1920.
The homes of the early settlers were indeed
far in the wilderness for it took from two to
four weeks for their mail to reach them from
their old homes in the East, and when a letter
did arrive it was marked "due 25 cents," -for
postage in those days need not be paid in ad-
vance and the charge was according to distance.
Neither was the letter always sent to where the
addressee lived, but to the nearest postoffice.
Prior to 1823 the postoffice of residents of
Crawford was Mansfield or Delaware, and the
pioneer store-keeper going to one of these
places brought back whatever letters were there
for any one in his neighborhood. When a
postoffice was established at Bucyrus in 1823,
that little village received the letters for resi-
dents for miles around, those of Whetstone,
Liberty, Sandusky, Chatfield, Lykins, Holmes,
Texas and Tod townships all getting their
mail at Bucyrus. When a letter did arrive for
some settler the watchful postmaster requested
some man who happened in from that section
to notify his neighbor that a letter had arrived
for him. The pioneers were generous; they
shared with those in need; of the stock or
game killed many a neighbor received a por-
tion ; but he could not put up the 25 cents for
the letter due, because money was something
he did not have. But he was still the true
neighbor, and after reaching home, when the
evening work was done, he went through the
woods to the home of his neighbor, several
♦Benjamin Sharrock, Polk township.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
85
miles away, and notified him that there was a
letter in the postoffice for him. Now the scene
of anxiety is transferred to the little farm;
they have nothing to dispose of, but the post-
age must be raised to secure the news from
home, so the hens are "summoned to duty,"
and after patient watching and waiting eight
dozen eggs are gathered and the pioneer goes
to Bucyrus and exchanges his eight dozen eggs
for the "24c due" letter, and returns to his
clearing to read over and over again the news
from the old home anywhere from a month to
six months old.
There was no class of people more welcome
among the pioneers than the traveling min-
ister. Long before the first white man had
ever dreamed of settling in this wilderness,
these faithful servants of God had risked their
lives, and many lost them, too, in preaching
the Gospel of Christ to the savages. And
when the settler came, these ministers, on foot
or on horseback, wandered through the
sparsely settled region, and the largest cabin
or barn was the meeting place of the settlers
for miles around to hear once more the word
of God. It was not denominational preach-
ing; sometimes it was one creed, sometimes
another, but a minister of any denomination
was welcome, and although a man may not
have been a professing Christian, if his cabin
were the larger or the more central it was used
for the services, and it was an honor and pleas-
ure to him to entertain the minister. Later the
different denominations became numerous
enough to hold services of their own special
creed at irregular intervals. Violent pulpit
oratory was regarded as more necessary in
those days than at the present time, and the
preacher soared to his highest flights in pictur-
ing the terrors and horrors of a brimstone hell.
The construction of his sentences, as far as
grammar was concerned, was a secondary con-
sideration, and frequently was a neglected art.
The loudest in their oratory, both in preaching
and in prayer, were looked upon as the better
Christians, and when one of these became
thoroughly warmed up to his work his prayer
could be heard for half a mile.
Among the more religiously inclined morn-
ing and evening services were held, the head of
the house reading a chapter from the well-worn
family Bible, giving out a hymn in which all
joined in the singing, and closing with one of
his far-reaching prayers. If a guest were pres-
ent, known to be a Christian, by courtesy he
was asked to lead in the family services, and
if he failed to "loosen the rafters" in his in-
structions to the throne of grace, the thorough-
ness of his conversion was doubted, and he
was never again invited to lead in prayer in
that household. Many others were milder in
their forms of worship, but among the more
zealous the religion of most of the milder class
was looked upon with suspicion, and hopes and
prayers were freely offered that the scales
might fall from their eyes and they become
truly converted. But as sure as "the groves
were God's first temples," so the purest and
truest of religion existed in the hearts of these
pioneers. No destitution was so severe in his
own family that he ever failed to share the lit-
tle that he had with his poorer neighbor; no
sickness ever invaded any family in his section
when he failed to respond with sympathy and
with succor; and when the icy hand of death
had robbed some poor struggling family of a
loved one, every pioneer's heart beat in sym-
pathy with his sorrowing neighbor, and every
pioneer's hand tendered assistance and relief.
They were true Christians in the broadest and
best sense of the word, and in the books above
where the recording angel has written the list
of those who loved their fellow men, the names
of these early pioneers will be found leading
all the rest.
Each settler was his own doctor, and the
minor diseases were cured by their own simple
remedies. In the loft of each cabin, or in the
cabin itself along the wall, hung the worm-
wood and pennyroyal, sassafras and sage, tan-
sey and catnip, and other herbs and barks
gathered and dried for sickness, and the minor
cases were cared for with these simple ingre-
dients. In each neighborhood some man was
depended upon to set a broken leg or arm, and
it was fairly done with no charge, the patient
on his recovery as a remembrance of the kindly
act sending around a deer he had shot. But
there were times when the disease or the acci-
dent was beyond the knowledge or the skill of
the household or the neighbors. Then it was
one of the family or a kindly neighbor started
through the woods anywhere from ten to forty
miles for medical aid, and a day or two later
86
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
returned with the doctor on horseback, with
his saddle-bags containing his wonderful medi-
cines, who gave what treatment he thought the
patient needed, and left advice for future care,
for the distance was too great to make a second
call possible. He was paid for his trip, if
there was anything to pay with — a little cash,
or some skins or some provisions; perhaps
nothing, and a year or two later receive a
wagon-load of potatoes or of corn, some choice
skins, or a cash payment from the pioneer who
had not forgotten his faithful services. The
doctor was satisfied; he had gone the toilsome
journey as an errand of mercy and as a profes-
sional duty, and the pecuniary reward was a
secondary consideration.
But the pioneers had their pleasures as well.
They had their cabin-raisings and their log-
rollings ; and they had their shooting matches,
for markmanship with the rifle was their high-
est sport. Then there were the quilting-bees
and the husking-bees, and after the work was
over many provisions were eaten and much
whisky drank. Whatever the occasion for the
gathering may have been it was followed by a
most bounteous meal of the wholesome provi-
sions that the forest and the farm could supply,
and' always enjoyed, for good appetites were
never lacking in those early days. The natural
result of these gatherings and the dances with
which the occasions closed, were the Aveddings,
where the bride was complimented and ad-
mired, resplendent in a new calico gown that
cost $1 a yard and was made by herself out
of five yards of goods; the happy groom, en-
vied and congratulated, his hair smoothed and
plastered to his head and polished and glisten-
ing with a superabundance of bear's grease.
And after the wedding the feast, the long table
so crowded and covered with the good things
prepared that no one could see that a table
cloth was lacking. After the feast all the
young folks escorted the bridal couple to their
new home, which was another little log cabin
in the forest, but its building and furnishing
had been the willing work of the young hus-
band for many an evening after his day's work
had been completed on his father's farm.
Sometimes and frequently, the angel of
death invaded the household, and a parent or
child was called away. If a child, it was the
father who went sorrowfully to the woods and
selected the straightest tree from which he
made the little coffin, lovingly staining the
wood with walnut, and tenderly covering his
rough work with ferns and flowers, and the
neighbors came from miles around, and in
some pretty and quiet spot on the little farm
the body was placed in its last earthly home,
one of the elderly pioneers conducting the
services with preaching and with prayer. If it
was the husband called away, the duties of
caring for the family fell upon the stricken
wife, and many a boy of eight or nine became
the useful assistant of the widowed mother as
the provider for the younger members of the
family. If help was needed, the pioneer neigh-
bors, after their own hard day's work was
done, assembled of an evening at her little
clearing, and prepared the land, and planted
the seed, and harvested the crop, and kept up
their kindly work until the children were old
enough to care for the family.
So the pioneers of Crawford settled the
county, passing through frequent trials and
undergoing many privations, with certainly
one redeeming feature in their own experience
in the wilderness, and that was that by the
time the first settler placed his foot on Craw-
ford soil, the Indians had been so thoroughly
whipped and cowed into submission that no
settler's cabin in this county was ever burned,
and no pioneer was ever murdered and scalped
by the savage tribes, as was so frequent and
so harrowing in the eastern and southern
counties in the earlier days.
Slowly but surely the primitive cabins gave
way to those of hewn logs and to the double
log cabins ; and these were in turn followed by
a few frame houses, and an occasional brick
residence. Each year the acreage of cleared
land increased; new roads were laid out and
the earlier ones improved; little settlements
were started which became villages, grew into
towns, and expanded into cities, and the
wilderness of a century ago became the rich
and fertile fields and farms, and the busy and
prosperous villages and cities of today.
On Feb. 12, 1820, the Legislature passed an
act erecting a county which they named Craw-
ford, after Col. William Crawford, who was
burned at the stake in 1782 within the confines
of the county then created. In 1820 the pres-
ent county of Crawford had within its borders
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 87
less than a hundred settlers, who with their Jackson Township. 1820 — Joseph Russell,
families numbered about 500 persons. As John Doyle.
nearly as can be gathered the principal settlers Jefferson Township. 18 16 — Jacob Fisher,
up to 1820 were as follows: 181 7 — Christian Snyder, Westell Ridgley,
Auburn Township. 1814 — Jedediah More- Peter Beebout, Thomas Ferguson, J. S. Gris-
head, John Pettigon. 1815 — William Green, well. 1818 — John Adrian, Lewis Leiberger,
Samuel S. Green, Jacob Coykendall, John James Nail.
Deardorff. 1816 — Aaron B. Howe. 1817 — Liberty Township. 1819 — Daniel McMich-
William Cole, Charles Morrow. 1818 — Levi ael. 1820 — Ralph Bacon, Auer Umberfield.
Bodley, Lester Bodley, Jesse Bodley, John Lykins Township. No one.
Bodley, David Cummins, Charles DeWitt, Polk Township. 1817 — Benjamin Lever-
William Laugherty, Henry Reif. 1819 — idge, James Leveridge, Nathaniel Leveridge.
Adam Aumend, Adam Aumend, Jr., Samuel 1818— -Nehemiah Story, Nathaniel Story,
Hanna, Resolved White. 1820 — Rodolphus Father Kitteridge, Benjamin Sharrock, George
Morse, Erastus Kellogg, Jacob Snyder, Pal- Wood, David Gill. 18 19 — Samuel Brown,
mer Halse, Daniel Hulse. Michael Brown, Asa Hosford, Horace Hos-
Bucyrus Township. 1819— Samuel Nor- ford, Disberry Johnson, John Sturgis. 1820—
ton, Albigence Bucklin, Seth Holmes, J- ^ickerson, David Reid, William Hosford,
Sears. 1820— David Beadle, Michael Beadle, ~r ^'^^^'^^^•
Joseph Ensley, William Young, George , ^<^^dusky Tozmship. 1819-Samuel Knis-
Young, John Young, Joseph Young. Sl'the^^ mder ^S20-Samuel Shull,
Chatiield Township. 1820-Jacob Whet- Texas Township. No one.
^ °n^' I. ^ , • T.T '^od Township. No one.
Cranberry Township. No one. y,,^,^ Township. i8i8^George Byers.
Dallas _ Township. i82(^G. H. Busby, 1819— David Anderson, Andrew Dixon.
Samuel Lme, Matthew Mitchell, George Wal- Whetstone Township. 1819— John Kent
ton, Charles White. 1820— Noble McKinstry, Joseph S. Young,
Holmes Township. No one. Martin Shaffner, John Willowby.
CHAPTER V
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY
First Elections — Boundaries — First Taxes — Early Roads — Location of County Seat — Col. Kil-
hourne's Proposition — Settlement of Bucyrus — Crawford County Organized — The Fight
on Commissioners — Their First Proceedings — Readjustment of Township Lines, i8^i-
1825 — Indian Purchase, i8s5 — The Leiths — Justice Garrett — Formation in 1845 of Craiv-
ford County as it Now Exists — Later Township Changes — New Roads — The Courts —
Contest for County Seat — Donations of Leading Citizens — Erection of Court House —
Visit of General Harrison — The County Jail — Population of Crawford County in 1830
and 1850 — Construction of Railroads — New Court House — Improvements — The Court
House of i8j6 — The New Jail — Care of the Poor — Abuses of the Old System — The
County Iniirmary — More Roads — DiMculties of Travel in Early Days — The Mails — Turn-
pikes and Stage Routes — Early Stores — Population by Townships — List of Residents in
1826.
Toil swings the axe and forests bow;
The fields break out in radiant bloom;
Rich harvests smile behind the plow,
And cities cluster round the loom. — Anon.
On Feb. 20, 1820, the Legislature passed an
act creating fourteen counties out of the ter-
ritory purchased from the Indians in 1817 —
Crawford, Allen, Hardin, Hancock, Henry,
Marion, Mercer, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky,
Seneca, Van Wert, Williams and Wood.
Later, from these counties, were erected Aug-
laize, Defiance, Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa and
Wyandot, the latter being formed almost ex-
clusively from Crawford in 1845, taking 288
square miles from this county, 47 from
Marion, 45 from Hancock and 24 from
Hardin. The new county of Crawford as
erected in 1820 was 18 miles from north to
south and thirty-three from east to west, or
594 square miles. Its northern boundary was
the same as today; its southern boundary two
miles north of the present county line. On the
east it commenced on the present eastern
boundary of Cranberry and Sandusky town-
ships, and extended west to seven miles beyond
Upper Sandusky, the present western bound-
aries of Crawford, Salem and Mifflin town-
ships in Wyandot county. As surveyed the
territory was townships i, 2 and 3 in ranges
13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 east, and the western half
of townships 16, 17 and 18, in range 21 west.
The new county of Crawford, not having suf-
ficient population, and not having sufficient
taxable property to bear the expense of a
county government, was placed temporarily,
with its sister county of Marion, under the
jurisdiction of Delaware county.
The first act of the commissioners of Dela-
ware relating to Crawford county was on
March 9, 1820, when they passed a resolution
creating that part of Crawford county lying
west of what is the western boundary of Bu-
cyrus township into a township to be known as
"Big Rock, and an order issued for the elec-
tion of township officers."
On June 5, 1820, another resolution was
passed creating the township of Harmony,
which was that part of Crawford county, ex-
tending from the present western boundary of
Bucyrus township to the Richland county line,
which was then the present western boundary
of Auburn and Vernon townships. Crawford
county was now two townships. Harmony
township (all of Crawford east of the western
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
89
boundary of Bucyrus township) is never again
mentioned in connection with Crawford
county, but later in the Delaware records this
territory is referred to as Sandusky township,
so it is probable that when the action of the
commissioners was referred to the court for
approval the name of the township was
changed to Sandusky. This is indicated from
the fact that the Delaware commissioners on
Dec. 23, 1822, passed the following:
"Ordered, that all that part of Sandusky town-
ship which lies west of the middle of the seventeenth
range of lands be and the same is hereby erected
into a separate township by the name of Bucyrus."
Prior to this the Delaware commissioners
had erected the township of Crawford, which
was six by eighteen miles in size, and embraced
what is now Texas township, Crawford
county, and Sycamore, Tymochtee and Craw-
ford townships in Wyandot county. Here an
election was called, the first in the new county
of Crawford. It was held on April i, 1821,
at the home of Henry Lish, who ran a ferry
across the Tymochtee on the road leading from
Upper Sandusky to Little Sandusky (Fre-
mont). There were just thirteen voters pres-
ent, and fourteen offices to fill, and Elijah
Brayton was the man elected to two offices.
One of the last acts of the Delaware com-
missioners relating to Crawford County was
on March 2, 1824, when they created the town-
ship of Whetstone, as it exists today, except
that in the rearrangement of Crawford county
in 1845, two miles were added to Whetstone
on the south from Marion county.
On June 6, 1821, the first taxes were levied
in Crawford county, and the commissioners
decided to levy the taxes "to the full extent
allowed by law, to wit: horses, 30 cents each;
cattle, 10 cents each; houses, &c., the one-half
of one per cent."
The p,rincipal business of the Delaware com-
rnissioners relating to Crawford county was
the matter of roads. On Dec. 5, 182 1, they
granted the position for a road commencing
in Marion county and joining the State road
from Columbus to Portland (Sandusky) at a
point near Sharrock's mills. On this road
Conrad Roth was one of the viewers, and
James Kilbourne the surveyor. On March 5,
1822, a road was petitioned for through what
is now Wyandot county, on which William
Holmes was one of the viewers. On June 3,
1822, John B. French presented a petition for
about the present road from Bucyrus to De-
Kalb, running east, south of the Sandusky
river, and crossing that stream at the old Luke
tavern. Michael Beadle, Joseph S. Young and
Daniel Palmer were appointed the viewers and
John Marshall, the surveyor.
Westell Ridgely presented a petition for the
present road from Leesville to Bucyrus, on
Dec. 2, 1822.
In May and June of 1822, Col. James Kil-
bourne surveyed the present Sandusky pike.
His surveyor's notes show that nearly a mile
north of where the road crossed the Broken-
sword it passed through a pondy swale half a
mile wide, and a half a mile further they cut
through the "southwest bend of the great
marsh."
On Jan. 20, 1823, the commissioners
granted the petition for a road from the "Up-
per Sandusky fort to the Richland county line."
It passed Crawford on the present boundary
line between Bucyrus and Dallas township, and
on to Gabon. On Dec. 3, 1822, James Kil-
bourne presented a petition for a road starting
in Marion county, passing through Whetstone
and Sandusky, and "crossing the Sandusky
river below the mouth of Lost Creek, arid then
anglirig northwest to strike the Columbus to
Portland road. This road is probably the one
that joins the Portland road at West Liberty.
Amos Earl and John B. French were two of
the viewers.
Dec. I, 1823, Zalmon Rowse petitioned for
a road commencing at Sandusky avenue, Bu-
cyrus, and running east along the south line of
Norton's property, the present Middletown
road. Thomas McClure, Auer Umberfield and
John Maxfield were the viewers. There had
been some irregularity in the papers for the
road from Leesville to Bucyrus, by Westell
Ridgely, so on Dec. 2, 1823, it was petitioned
for again by Asa Howard, and three of the
viewers were John B. French, Amos Earl and
Amos Utey, and this time the road was laid
out.
In 1 82 1 James Kilbourne had gone through
where Bucyrus now is, looking for a location
for a road from Columbus to the Lake, a road
having already been built from Columbus to
Norton, in the northern part of Delaware
90
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
county. During that year he entered into a
contract with Samuel Norton to lay out a town
on Norton's land on the south bank of the
Sandusky, and the plat of the new town, called
Bucyrus, was filed in the office of the recorder
of Delaware county on Feb. ii, 1822, the first
recorded entry of the name Bucyrus.
On Dec. 15, 1823, the Legislature passed an
act authorizing Marion county to elect officers,
and become an organized county, at the same
time transferring Crawford county to the jur-
isdiction of Marion county, and Feb. 17, 1824,
placing the northwestern part of the county
under the jurisdiction of Seneca county. The
act went into effect on May i, 1824, and on
May 3, 1824, the first election took place for
the new county officials of Marion. The
officers elected were Sheriff, Auditor, Coroner
and three County Commissioners. There were
no candidates from Crawford, except one
County Commissioner, and it must have been
understood that Crawford was to haye one of
the Commissioners, as Crawford's candidate
headed the list. The vote on Commissioner
was Enoch B. Merriman (Crawford county)
247; Matthew Merritt 209, Amos C. Wilson
157, William Cochran 122, John Page 102,
Alexander Berry, Jr. 69, Eber Baker 53,
David Tipton 47, William Wyatt 26. Merri-
man, Merritt and Wilson were elected. At the
regular election following, on Oct. 12, Merri-
man again led the poll, the vote for commis-
sioner being Enoch B. Merriman -297, Amos
C. Wilson 256, Jolm Page 226, Matthew Mer-
ritt 109; Richard Hopkins 130. Merriman,
Wilson and Page elected. At this election C.
Roth was a candidate for Auditor. He was
the only other candidate besides Merriman
from Crawford county, but he was defeated,
receiving only 33 votes. His opponent, Hez-
ekiah Gorton, receiving 334.
At this election Crawford cast its first vote
for Governor, and the vote of Marion and
Crawford combined was 380, the Federalist
candidate, Allen Trimble, receiving 275, and
the Democratic candidate, Jeremiah Morrow,
receiving 105. The returns show that at that
time there were but two voting townships in
Crawford county. The eastern three miles
(present width of Sandusky township), was
Sandusky township, then three miles wide and
18 deep, and cast 7 votes for Morrow and 5
for Trimble; then came Bucyrus township,
twelve miles-wide and 18 deep, extending from
the present eastern boundary of Whetstone
and Liberty to th6 western boundary of Bu-
cyrus, Holmes and Lykens. This township
cast 49 for Trimble and i for Morrow. What
is now Texas, Tod and western Dallas voted
as a part of Grand Prairie, Marion county,
while all of Wyandot belonging then to Craw-
ford, voted with Seneca county.
In this first vote probably 115 were cast in
Craw^ford county and 265 in Marion county,
and of this 115 the present Crawford had 64
of the votes and the present Wyandot 51. The
Crawford vote being the 50 in Bucyrus, 12 in
Sandusky, and 2 in what is now Texas town-
ship, but it is a singular fact that in this first
election, Bucyrus township, which included in
that election, all of the present townships of
Bucyrus, Holmes, Lykins, Chatfield, Liberty.
Whetstone, and the western mile of Cranberry
gave Trimble 49, and Morrow democrat i . In
the more than four-score years that have
passed since this first political vote, the demo-
cratic vote has very largely increased, but un-
fortunately there is no way at this late date to
discover who it was that cast that first demo-
cratic vote in Bucyrus, from whom so numer-
ous a progeny has descended. At the Presi-
dential election in 1908, the territory that was
then Bucyrus township gave the following
vote: Democratic 1859, Republican 1151, scat-
tering 97. Any one interested can figure for
himself the per cent of increase in the demo-
cratic vote in the last 84 years.
Mr. Merriman resigned as commissioner
and was succeeded by Zachariah Welsh, whose
farm was near where the village of Wyandot
now is, the Wyandot part of Crawford county.
At the election in October 1825, Zalmon
Rowse was elected as the commissioner from
Crawford county, taking the place of Welsh.
On Oct. 4, 1 82 1, the first agreement between
Samuel Norton and James Kilbourne was
signed to lay out a town on Norton's land.
Various changes were made, and an amended
agreement was signed on Dec. 15, 1822, and in
this agreement it is stated the town is "now
named Bucyrus."
The sale of lots of the new town com-
menced, and the wisdom of the location was
demonstrated by the interest taken in the new
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
91
village. But the projectors of the new town
recognized the fact that it was in the south-
eastern part of the county, nine miles being
east of them and twenty-four west; six miles
south of it and twelve north, so Col. Kilbourne
brought pressure to bear on the Legislature
for the organization of a new county to
be called Bucyrus, so arranging this territory
that Bucyrus would be in the centre, and have
no opposition as the county seat. To facili-
tate this movement, Samuel Norton issued the
follow agreement :
"Know ye that I, Samuel Norton, of Bucyrus, in
Crawford county and State of Ohio, have agreed,
and do agree, as this instrument witnesseth, that in
case the county of Bucyrus should be established
by law at the approaching session of the Legislature,
for which petitions will be presented, and the seat of
justice permanently established in the town of Bucy-
rus, then, and in that case, I will give, and, by a
warranty deed free and clear of all incumbrance,
convey unto such agent or agents as may be ap-
pointed to the trust, for the use of said new county
in defraying the expenses of erecting a court house
and offices in said town of Bucyrus, one equal third
part in number and value of all the numbered lands
and outlots of said town, or that may be numbered
within the present year, which remain to me as
original proprietor thereof; that is to say, one-third
of all the lots numbered on the recorded plat of said
town, or that may be numbered as aforesaid, except-
ing those which have been bargained and sold, or
that may be sold to individuals, by deeds or title
bonds prior to the acceptance of this offer and ex-
cepting also the fractional parts of said town, origi-
nally belonging to Abel Carey and Daniel McMichael.
On a plat of said town accompanying this obliga-
tion are distinctly marked the lots by their numbers
and situations composing the said third part intended
to be given for the public uses aforesaid, and the
foregoing agreement and the just fulfillment there-
of I bind myself, my heirs, executors and adminis-
trators, firmly by these presents. In witness where-
of, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at said
Bucyrus, this 20th day of November, 1823.
SAMUEL NORTON.
In presence of A. L. Shover.
Notwithstanding the influence of Col. Kil-
bourne in the State, and the petitions presented
by the few but enterprising citizens of Bu-
cyrus, the Legislature declined to erect the new
county of Bucyrus. In 1823 an enumeration
of the voters of the State had been taken, and
this count showed that Crawford county had
244 electors and Marion 517, so the Legislat-
ure, instead of erecting a new county, passed
an act authorizing Marion county to elect of-
ficers and organize, placing Crawford county
temporarily a part of Marion.
The first road laid out by the Marion com-
missioners was what is now the Marion road,
on June 8, 1824, "commencing at David Tip-
ton's farm, thence on nearest and best road to
Bucyrus, making Benjamin Salmon's peach
orchard, Benjamin Fickle's farm, and David
Bryant's points." Tipton's farm was tvi^o
miles this side of Marion where the road from
Upper Sandusky forms a point by joining the
Marion road. The same day a road was
established "beginning at the east line of
Crawford county, at the crossing of the road
leading from Wooster to Upper Sandusky,
thence on the nearest and best ground to Bu-
cyrus, making Daniel Michael's mill a point on
said road." This road passed through Liberty,
north of the Sandusky, crossing the river at
McMichael's mill, which was on the south bank
of the river but across the road from the pres-
ent water works reservoir. The road then
joined the Mansfield road and entered Bucyrus.
A part of the road has long since been aban-
doned, and the balance straightened.
On Dec. 7, 1824, Heman Rowse, Nathaniel
Plummer, Benjamin Parcher and John Mc-
Clure were appointed viewers for the road
from Norton to Portland, first established by
the Delaware Commissioners. (Two years
later made a state road, the Sandusky Pike.)
Dec. 17, 1824, what is now the Mt. Vernon
road was laid out. A part of it was to go
west on a road that runs from the Plains to
James Nail's mills "until it crosses the bridge
through the long swamp, thence running north-
westwardly so as to cross the Whetstone about
ten or fifteen rods north of dinger's fields,"
thence to intersect the Bucyrus road running
to Gallon, dinger's fields were about the north-
west quarter of section 33, Whetstone, two
miles northwest of New Winchester.
The last road the Marion commissioners
ordered was the Little Sandusky road, "com-
mencing at or near the Little Sandusky bridge,
thence by nearest and best ground to Bucyrus,
passing Selick Longwell and Thomas Terry."
This road and the Leeville road are the two
most meandering roads in the county; in the
years that have passed they have been
straightened in many places.
From 1820 to 1826 there was a constant and
steady stream of settlers taking up land along
the few roads, and on the best farming lands
of the county. The establishing of a town by
92
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
Norton and Kilbourne had brought many to
the new village, and the settlement in and
around Bucyrus, had brought business to the
village so that it boasted of two taverns, a mill,
three stores, two tanneries, and several small
shops. It was the only village in the eastern
section of Crawford, but in the Wyandot por-
tion was McCufchenville, also a village of per-
haps three hundred people, a few larger than
Bucyrus. Prior to 1822, the only outlet for a
market from Bucyrus was over the crude road
constructed by the settlers themselves, through
the present Liberty, Sandusky and Auburn
townships to New Haven, but roads had soon
followed to Mansfield, Sandusky, Mt. Vernon
and Delaware, the Sandusky road in 1822,
being a better outlet for the lake than the one
to New Haven. Having failed in the erection
of a new county to be called Bucyrus, the cit-
izens of the village and of the county had
constantly brought pressure to bear on the
Legislature to organize the county, and make
the county seat Bucyrus. Finally, on Jan. 31,
1826, the act was passed, but instead of
establishing the county seat at Bucyrus, the act
referred the matter back to the voters, the
location of Bucyrus being too far from the
centre of the county to warrant their making
it the county seat. Instead they ordered an
election of officers in the new county, with the
proviso that the commissioners elected should
select temporarily the county seat. At that
time the population of the county was about
as follows, the table being given in a way to
show those in the present Crawford part and
in the Wyandot part :
Townships Crawford Wyandot Total
Antrim 70 70
Bucyrus 463 . . . 463
Crawford 499 499
Liberty 372 ... 372
Pitt 92 92
Sandusky 346 ... 346
Sycamore 22 ISO 172
Whetstone 375 ... 375
Totals 1,578 811 2,389
A total of about 2,389 people in the county
when the following act was passed on Jan. 31,
1826:
Section I. — Be it enacted, &c., that the county of
Crawford be, and the same is hereby organized into
a separate and distinct county.
Section II. — That all Justices of the Peace resid-
ing within the county of Crawford, shall continue to
discharge the duties of their respective offices until
their commissions shall expire and their successors
are chosen and qualified.
Section III. — That the qualified electors residing
in the county of Crawford shall meet in their re-
. spective townships on the first Monday of April
next, and elect their several county officers who
shall hold their respective offices until the next an-
nual election and until others are chosen and qual-
ified according to law.
Section IV. — That all suits and actions, whether
of a civil or criminal nature, which shall have been
commenced, shall be prosecuted to final judgment
and execution, and all taxes, fines and penalties
which shall have become due shall be collected in
the same manner as if this act had not been passed.
Section V. — That Zalmon Rowse is hereby ap-
pointed assessor for said county of Crawford, who
shall, on or before the first day of April next, give
bond as is provided in the fourth section of the "act
establishing an equitable mode of taxation," to the
acceptance of Enoch B. Merryman, who is hereby
"authorized to receive said bond, and deposit the
same with the county auditor of said county forth-
with after such Auditor has been elected and quali-
fied; and the assessor herein appointed shall be re-
quired to perform the same duties, hold the office
for the same time and in the same manner as if he
had been appointed by a Court of Common Pleas for
said County of Crawford; and the Auditor of State
is hereby required to transmit to said Assessor a
schedule of all lands subject to taxation within said
county, which schedule said Assessor shall return
with his other returns to the County Auditor.
Section VI. — ^That the commissioners elected ac-
cording to the provisions contained in the third sec-
tion of this act, shall meet on the first Monday of
May next, at the town of Bucyrus, and then and
there determine at what place in said county of
Crawford the judicial courts shall be held till the
permanent seat of justice shall be established in said
county.
Section VII. — That those townships and frac-
tional townships in Crawford county which have
heretofore been attached to and formed a part of
any township in Marion or Seneca county respect-
ively, are hereby attached to, and declared to be a
part of, Crawford township in said Crawford county,
till the same shall be otherwise provided for by the
Commissioner of said county.
By this act the question of the place of the
county seat would be decided by the first
county commissioners elected. As early as
1 82 1 the settlers near Bucyrus had made a
road through the woods to Sandusky. Almost
following the route laid out by them Col. Kil-
bourne, in 1822, had surveyed a road to San-
dusky, and along this road much land was
being entered. In 1825 Joseph Newell entered
land on section 9, Holmes township; it was
about a mile west of the Tiffin road, and
was on the south bank of the Brokensword,
just below where the Brandywine empties into
that stream, and adjoining the eastern bound-
ary of the Indian reservation. It was a hand-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
93
some site for a town, and being very much
nearer the centre of the county, Mr. Newell
laid out a town on his land which he called
Crawford, in the hope that the county seat
might be located there.
Before the town had fairly started, the
question came before the voters for settlement
by the election of the first commissioners. At
the time of the first election, April, 1826, two-
thirds of the population were in the eastern
part of the county, and nearly all of these
would naturally support Bucyrus; the other
third were expected to favor a more central
location. The most thickly settled section at
that time was in what is now northern Wy-
andot, the present township of Tymochtee,
containing the little settlement of Old Tymoch-
tee and the town of McCutchenville, the latter
having a few more inhabitants than Bucyrus.
It was in this township the first election in
Crawford county was held. Crawford town-
ship had been established by the Delaware
County Commissioners in 1821, and comprised
the territory that is now Crawford, Tymochtee
and Sycamore townships, Wyandot county,
and Texas township, Crawford county. The
electors met at the home of Henry Lish, who
ran a ferry across the Tymochtee on the road
from Upper Sandusky to Lower Sandusky
(Fremont), passing through where Tiffin now
is, that city not then having any existence.
There were thirteen electors present. They
elected a chairman and secretary of the meet-
ing, appointed judges, and elected by ballot
the fourteen township officers. At that time
there was no settler in what is now Texas
township, so there was no vote cast from what
is now Crawford county. The nearest this
county came to getting an office was by re-
lationship, Ichabod Merriman being elected one
of the trustees, Rufus Merriman one of the
appraisers, and Myron Merriman one of the
fence viewers. They were relatives of the
Merrimans who became prominent in Bucyrus.
When the first county election was held on
April I, 1826, the principal fight was for the
commissioners, as on these officers rested the
selection of the county seat. Bucyrus was
awake to her interests, as the men she pre-
sented were John Magers, of Sandusky, who
came to the county in 1823 ; Thomas McClure,
of Liberty, who came to the county in 1821,
and George Poe of Whetstone, who came in
1823. In these three townships were nearly
half the population of the entire county, and
these three men won out. The other first offi-
cers were Hugh McCracken, of Bucyrus, for
Sheriff; James Martin, of Bucyrus, for Au-
ditor, and John McClure for Surveyor. John
H. Morrison may have been elected treasurer,
but the general custom in those days was for
the commissioners to appoint the first
treasurer. At any rate, Mr. Morrison was the
first treasurer of the county. Of the men
elected the commissioners were farmers, Mc-
Clure followed his occupation of surveyor, Mc-
Cracken was a wheelright, Martin was a school
teacher, and Morrison was a lawyer.
The Bucyrus section had two-thirds of the
vote, so political wire pulling may not have
been necessary. It is a matter of record, how-
ever, that in the October election of that year,
John Carey, of Crawford township (now
Wyandot county) was elected as the first rep-
resentative from the new county to the State
Legislature. This may have been purely ac-
cidental, but when two-thirds of the voters
present the principal office in their gift to one-
third, present day politicians would have their
suspicions that the Hon. John had been de-
cidedly friendly to the Bucyrus commissioners
in the county seat fight.
The newly elected commissioners held their
first meeting at Bucyrus, on the first Monday
in May, 1826, and promptly selected Bucyrus
as the county seat of the new county.
All the early records of the county commis-
sioners were destroyed by fire in October, 1831,
when the jail in Bucyrus was burned. Many
other records of the county were lost at the
same time. In those days the commissioners
held four meetings a year. The first meeting of
the county commissioners of which there is any
record was as follows :
"Proceedings of the Commissioners of Crawford
County, begun and held in the town of Bucyrus,
on the 17th and 18th days of October, A. D. 1831:
"Be it resolved. That James McCracken, Esq., of
Crawford county, be and hereby is appointed a com-
inissioner (in the room of R. W. Cahill, Esq., re-
signed) to lay out a certain state road, commencing
at the town of Perrysburg, in Wood county; thence
to McCutchenville; thence to Bucyrus, in Crawford
county.
"Resolved, That an order be issued to the Au-
ditor, John Caldwell, for seventy dollars and sixty-
eight cents, for his services as Auditor.
94
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
"Resolved, That Z. Rowse be, and he is hereby
authorized to contract for books for the Clerk's and
Recorder's offices, to be paid out of the county
treasury."
While there are no records of the commis-
sioners prior to the above, from papers in
other offices and from township records it is
found that among the first acts of the commis-
sioners in 1826 was the dividing of the new
territory into townships, and Cranberry was
formed as the northeastern township, its ter-
ritory including what is now Cranberry and
the eastern four miles of Chatfield. Texas
township was a part of Sycamore township;
west of this were Tymochtee and Crawford,
these last three townships having been created
by the Marion Commissioners. This consti-
tuted the northern tier of townships. The
central tier commenced on the east with the
three mile strip which was the northern half of
Sandusky township ; west of this was Liberty,
about six miles square ; then Holmes six miles
square,, and then Antrim, which included what
is now Tod and extended to Pitt township.
The southern tier commenced on the east with
the southern half of Sandusky, three miles
wide ; then Whetstone nearly six miles square ;
then Bucyrus, the same territory as now ;
northern Dallas was a part of Antrim, which
extended to Pitt township. The present two
miles of southern Dallas and the two southern
miles of \\"hetstone were then a part of
Marion county, and the eastern four miles of
the county were a part of Richland county.
With the exception of the two mile strip which
was added to Whetstone on the south in 1845,
the townships of Liberty, Whetstone, Holmes
and Bucyrus were in 1826 the same territory
they are today.
On account of the Pike road from Bucyrus
to Sandusky, and the business it created along
the line by giving a market outlet to the set-
tlers, the western portion of Cranberry was
becoming rapidly settled, and petitions were
presented to the commissioners for the division
of Cranberry, and about 183 1 Cranberry was
established its present size, and Chatfield
created six miles deep and four miles wide.
About the same time Lykins was erected from
Sycamore township, the western half of that
township, and it included the present Lykins
and the western mile of Chatfield.
No further change was made in the town-
ships until in 1835. Sandusky township was a
strip on the east three miles wide and twelve
deep, which was so inconvenient that the cit-
izens petitioned for a division of the township,
and Sandusky township was erected as at pres-
ent, the three mile strip, six miles deep, east of
Whetstone being formed into a new township
named Jackson.
In 1835, the Government purchased of the
Indians, seven miles off the eastern part of
their reservation, which was all of the present
Tod township, a trifle over two miles of west-
ern Bucyrus and Holmes and the northern
three mile strip of Dallas. This was surveyed
and in 1837 opened to settlement. This neces-
sitated a rearrangement of townships. The
parts adjoining Bucyrus and Holmes were
easily placed by making them a part of those
townships, \\'hich they already were by the
survey. Antrim was divided, the northern
half being named Leith township and the
southern half remaining Antrim. Leith town-
ship included in its borders the six northern
miles of Tod while the three southern miles
of Tod and the three northern miles of Dallas
were a part of Antrim.
The prominent man in the new township of
Leith was George \Y. Leith, whose father was
the first white child born in the Sandusky val-
ley, his grandfather, John Leith, having been
taken a prisoner by the AA^yandot Indians \^•hen
a boy, afterward marrying Sally Lowry, a
white girl who had also been taken prisoner by
the Indians. John Leith was an Indian trader
and Samuel Leith, the father of George AA^.,
was born in 1775, at the village which was
then the headquarters of the. Indians, probably
the old Indian town of Upper Sandusky, about
three miles further up the Sandusky than the
present town of Upper Sandusky. During the
Revolutionary war and at the time of Craw-
ford's campaign John Leith, the grandfather,
ran a trading store at the AA^yandot village,
which was the headquarters of the Indian allies
of the British, and when the township was
named Leith by the commissioners, the enemies
of Leith protested against the name on the
ground that his grandfather was on the side
of the British. The remonstrance became so
universal that the commissioners were com-
pelled to change the name, and wisely avoided
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
95
any future difficulty by deciding that as the
territory was the exact centre of the county
they would name it Centre township. Prior to
this, when the township was organized as
Leith, there was an election to fill the various
offices, and George W. Leith was elected justice
of the peace. He had already c[ualified and
was serving when the indignant storm broke,
and when the commissioners discarded the
name of Leith, he promptly resigned his office.
The justice elected in Antrim township was
George Garrett. When the Indian mill was
started for the use of the Wyandots near Up-
per Sandusky under the treaty of 1817, it was
run by Garrett. Later he built the Garrett
mill on the Sandusky near Wyandot, and was
running this when he was elected justice. He
was a life-long friend of Leith, a quarter-
blood Indian, and was so indignant at the ac-
tion of the commissioners that he, too, re-
signed.
There were no other changes or erections
of townships, until the present Crawford
county was formed in 1845, when 18 miles was
taken from the western part of the county to
form Wyandot county. As part compensation
for this loss of territory four miles on the east
was added to Crawford from Richland, and
two miles on the south was added from
Marion. The Richland addition included the
present townships of Auburn and Vernon.
South of Vernon was Sandusky township,
Richland county, four miles wide and seven
deep, and as Crawford had a township named
Sandusky the new territory was called Polk,
it receiving two miles of the strip taken from
Marion county. The balance of the two mile
strip from Marion county was attached to
Whetstone, and further west the two mile
strip was made a part of a new township named
Dallas. West of Bucyrus, Holmes and Lykins
a strip two miles wide remained a part of
Crawford county. The northern six miles of
this territory was erected into Texas township,
the next nine miles became the present town-
ship of Tod and the lower three miles were
added to Dallas. In the north, one mile was
taken from the eastern side of Lykins and
given to Chatfield, making both these townships
equal in size, five miles square.
Polk and Jackson were the southeastern
townships of the county Polk being four miles
wide and seven deep and Jackson three miles
wide and seven deep. A petition was pre-
sented to the Commissioners to make a dif-
ferent division of these two townships, and
after several hearings, the boundary was
changed and instead of being north and south
the dividing line was made east and west, the
northern part, seven miles wide and four deep
being named Jackson and the southern part,
seven wide and three deep being called Polk.
The next change of townships was in 1873.
Crestline, in Jackson township, had been laid
out in 1 85 1, and became a prominent railroad
centre, and grew so rapidly in population that
the business of the entire township was con-
ducted at that town, which was so inconvenient
to those residing in the western portion of the
township that a petition was presented to the
commissioners to divide the township, and the
request was granted the five western miles be-
ing formed into a township which was named
Jefferson, leaving Jackson the smallest town-
ship in the county, only two miles wide and
four deep.
The final change of township lines was in
1909, when two southeastern sections of
Vernon township petitioned to be attached to
Jackson, as it would be more convenient to
them. Their request was granted.
Another large branch of the work of the
early commissioners was the laying out of new
roads and the straightening of old ones. The
road mentioned in the first records of the
commissioners in 1831, that from Perrysburg
to Bucyrus, was what is now known as the
Tiffin road.
The county seat had only been selected tem-
porarily, so the people of Bucyrus did not feel
disposed to erect a new court house. The
county did, however, build a jail. The com-
missioners made the contract with Zalmon
Rowse for its construction. It was of logs,
and was built on the lot now occupied by the
Park House, at the southeast corner of Wal-
nut street and the Pennsylvania road. This
jail was built in 1827. It was the only county
building, and in it were kept many of the
county records which were destroyed by the
burning of the building in October, 1831.
The selection of Bucyrus as the county seat
carried with it the holding of court at Bucyrus.
In those days, a Common Pleas Court con-
96
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
sisted of a lawyer, appointed by the Legisla-
ture, who was the presiding judge, and three
prominent citizens, also appointed by the Legis-
lature, who sat with him as associate judges.
The first court was held in this county in 1826.
There was no court house and the most con-
venient place to hold the court was in Abel
Carey's cabin on the south bank of the Sandu-
sky just west of the Sandusky avenue bridge.
Ebenezer Lane, of Norwalk, was the presiding
judge for this section, and he came across the
country on horseback. The Legislature had
appointed in February, as the associate judges
for the new county, E. B. Merriman and John
Carey of Bucyrus, and John B. French of
Sandusky township. Later, court was held in
the school house, which was a one story log
structure in a grove just west of the present
site of Holy Trinity Church, the lot now oc-
cupied by Mrs. Charles Vollrath. When a
jury case was on, the sheriff escorted the jury-
men to some private residence or shop where
they could hold their deliberations undis-
turbed. Each year also the Supreme Court
met at Bucyrus. In those days the Supreme
Court was composed of four members, and
court was held not less than once each year
in every county in the State, two members of
the Supreme Court being necessary to consti-
tute a quorum. Court days were great days for
Bucyrus. The best rooms in the tavern were
reserved for the judges, and lawyers came from
the surrounding towns, notably Mansfield,
Norwalk and Delaware, and in the evening the
judges laid aside their dignity and with the
visiting lawyers sat in the hotel office, which
was the bar room, and told their stories and
reminiscences to the delight of the villagers
who dropped- in. These villagers were not a
part of the sacred circle, probably not more
than half a dozen of the more prominent men
in the town having the temerity to take any
part in the conversation.
The town of Bucyrus was growing, the
county was becoming more and more thickly
settled, and roads were being laid out so they
would pass the mill or farm of some prom-
inent citizen, his convenience being of far
more importance in those days than an)rthing
else; or, probably, as it was the influential
citizen who took the active part to secure the
road he would naturally see that its location
was the most convenient for him. Finally in
1830 the Legislature appointed three commis-
sioners to visit Crawford county and recom-
mend a site for the permanent county seat.
The commissioners were Judge Hosea Wil-
liams of Delaware, R. S. Dickerson of Lower
Sandusky (Fremont), and J. S. Glassgo of
Holmes county. The census of 1830 gave
Crawford a population of 4,778, and of these
about two-thirds were in the eastern part, and
the other one-third in the western part, or
Wyandot portion. There were but two towns
of any consequence in the county, Bucyrus
with a population of about 300, and McCutch-
enville a dozen or more larger. The objection
to Bucyrus was that it was in the south-
eastern part of the county, and in those days
when the only means of travel was over the
worst of roads this was a serious objection.
McCutchenville, however, although a trifle
larger than Bucyrus, was not to be considered ;
it being in the extreme northwest. The only
real danger to Bucyrus was the site of James
Newell's town of Crawford on the bank of
the Brokensword. Unfortunately for him the
town had not developed. It had probably
three log houses, with a little clearing around
each; the rest was all original forest and only
the plat of the town could show where the
streets were to be. A graveyard was marked
on the plat but even this was covered with
trees like the rest, and untenanted. However,
in those days the commissioners appointed by
the Legislature to locate permanent county
seats were governed by a desire to place the
site as near the centre of the county as pos-
sible. True, the exact centre of the county
(within a mile of Osceola) was then an In-
dian reservation of twelve by seventeen miles
in size, of the eighteen by thirty of the county,
but the commissioners for the State well knew
the time was not far distant when this great
central tract would be thrown open for settle-
ment. Already many settlers had squatted on
the reservation in defiance of the law, and
others were occupying and clearing it, renting
from the Indian owners. Four miles northeast
of the exact centre of the county was Bucyrus'
rival for the county seat.
In the summer of 1830 the commissioners
appointed to settle the question came to
Bucyrus, and faithful to their duties visited
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
97
the site of Crawford, going out what is now
the Tiffin road over a road which had been
made by the settlers themselves through the
woods avoiding as far as possible the swampy
ground. Five miles to the north they left this
semblance of a road and took a trail through
the woods for about a mile, and came to the
three or four little cabins. After passing over
the swampy ground that then covered southern
Holmes this higher ground on the banks of
what was then a pretty little river certainly
showed up as an attractive site for a town.
The commissioners returned to Bucyrus, no
doubt tired from a twelve miles ride on horse-
back through what was then nothing but
swamps and forest, and they found a fine sup-
per waiting for them at the tavern. They
found also the prominent men of the village
there. Col. Kilbourne was up from Columbus
to attend the banquet given in their honor;
his partner, Samuel Norton, was there; also
Zalmon Rowse and a young attorney who had
recently located in the town, Josiah Scott; the
Careys and the Merrimans, the McCrackens
and the Failors were there ; George Lauck and
Ichabod Rogers, the latter rapidly becoming
one of the wealthy men of the village. It is
probable nearly all of Bucyrus' prominent cit-
izens were there or dropped in to meet the
commissioners. The matter was talked over
under the most enjoyable circumstances. Nor-
ton agreed to donate the two lots held in
reserve by him for a school house and jail.
Kilbourne agreed to donate two of his
reserved lots for the court house. And under
the excitement and enthusiasm of the mo-
ment, and the stimulating and exhilarating ef-
fects of the liquid end of the feast, liberal cit-
izens promised various subscriptions toward
the erection of public buildings, and to show
they meant it they reduced their promises to
writing to which they affixed their names.
The lots donated by Kilbourne for the court
house, were Nos. 90 and 92, the present site.
The lots for a schoolhouse and a jail donated
by Norton, were Nos. 86 and 88, now occupied
by the Park House and the residence of A.
Wickham. With some of the other subscrip-
tions, the county commissioners' records later
show that legal measures had to be taken for
their collection, which indicates the wisdom of
those engineering the movement having a
promise made under the enthusiasm of the mo-
ment reduced to writing and signed. Human
nature does not change much after all, and
even in the present day the courts are some-
times resorted to for the enforcement of the
payment of subscription to some enterprise
which the signer enthusiastically supported at-
its inception. On the other hand, in 1823
Samuel Norton signed an agreement to give
one-third of the proceeds received from the
sale of all the lots he owned in Bucyrus to-
ward the erection of public buildings, pro-
vided a new county was formed with Bucyrus
as the county seat, and in 1826, when the Pike
Road from Columbus to Sandusky was being
prospected, some of the Bucyrus business men
and lot owners, to secure the road subscribed
for more stock than their property was ap-
praised at on the tax duplicate. No wonder
the Ohio Gazeteer of 1826, in its mention of
Bucyrus, described it as "a lively post town
laid out in 1822," &c. It was easy enough to
select the beautiful site of Bucyrus, but that
did not make the town ; it took the enterprise
and push, the liberality and work of Norton
and Rowse, of Merriman and St. John, of the
Careys and the McCrackens to give it the
name and the reputation of "a lively post
town" when it was only three years old, and to
keep it one.
After the selection of Bucyrus as the county
seat the commissioners let the contract to
Zalmon Rowse for the erection of a court
house. Col. Kilbourne was the architect of
the new building and the contractors were
Nicholas Cronebaugh, Abraham Halm and
William Early. The design of the building, as
drawn by Kilbourne, was simply a copy of the
State House at Columbus, only smaller, hav-
ing but one window on each side of the door
in the front of the buildings, instead of the
two windows on each side which the State
House had. The site of the building was the
present site, except that it was built further
forward, even with Mansfield street. The
first floor was on a level with the street, cer-
tainly not more than one log step being neces-
sary to enter the building. On each side of
the door was the window. The second floor
was the court room and had three windows in
front and two on each side. The first floor
also had but two windows on each side of the
98
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
buildings. The roof sloped from the four
sides up to a square tower. On top of this
was a smaller round tower surmounted by a
weather vane. The building was of brick, the
brick being made at Halm's brick yard which
was at the southwest corner of Sandusky and
Warren. In the course of its erection the
building had reached the second story by Dec.
4, 1830, and on that day the scaffolding gave
way and Elias Cronebaugh and a man named
Seigler were thrown to the ground and killed.
On the completion of the building it was
painted white, emblematic of the purity of the
justice which it was expected would be fur-
nished within the new structure. In 1837 a bell
was added, which cost $100, and the day it
was placed in position was made the occasion
for a jollification. In 1844 a fence was
placed around the lot, which cost $56; it was
of wooden pickets, about four feet high, rest-
ing on the ground. The building was not only
used for the courts but for all public meetings,
and there were very few Sundays when the
court room was not used by some religious
denomination for the holding of services.
It was in this old court room that Gen. Wil-
liam Henry Harrison spoke in 1840, when he
was campaigning for the presidency. He was
accompanied at Bucyrus by Robert C.
Schenck, a rising young attorney of Dayton,
and a brilliant orator, who later became a
General in the Civil War, a member of Con-
gress, and minister to England. During his
stay at Bucyrus Gen. Harrison stopped at the
hotel kept by Samuel Norton, where the
Zeigler Mill now stands on North Sandusky
avenue. Richard M. Johnson, the Democratic
candidate for Vice President, spoke at Bucyrus
during the same campaign. He was accom-
panied by Senator William Allen and Gov.
Wilson Shannon. When they left here for
the meeting at Mansfield, they were accom-
panied by George Sweney, the Congressman
from this district. The difficulties of cam-
paigning in those days may be judged from
the fact that the Vice Presidential candidate
spoke at Bucyrus on Friday, and in company
with Allen, Shannon and Sweney drove to the
home of William Patterson this side of Mans-
field where they rested on Sunday for the
Mansfield meeting of Monday. A vice presi-
dential candidate traveling only 26 miles and
filling two dates in four days !
Although the court house was commenced in
1830, it was 1834 before it was completed to
the satisfaction of the commissioners, and ac-
cepted by them. It is certain that the con-
tractors were as slow then as they sometimes
are today, as it was during the erection of the
jail in 1839 the commissioner's journal con-
tained the following terse entry:
"Commissioners met today to see if tlie new jail
was done, and of course it wasn't done. On motion
adjourned."
In these days of long drawn out reports,
one turns with pure joy to an entry which in
three lines expresses the exact state of affairs
with a side swipe at the dilatory contractors
thrown in.
The old log jail erected in 1827 was de-
stroyed by fire in 1831, burned up by Andrew
Hesser, who was being confined there as a
lunatic. Its destruction involved also that of
the records of the county commissioners, for
it was in this building that that body held their
meetings. After the fire, in searching among
the ruins, bones were found, and the officials
being satisfied that the unfortunate Hesser had
lost his own life in the burning of the jail, the
bones were carefully gathered up and given
Christian burial. Some time later the citizens
were astonished when an officer arrived from
Wooster, bringing with him the identical Andy
supposed to have been burned up, and whose
remains were known to have been decently
buried. It appears Andy had been discovered
at Wooster sitting on a store box, and as his
talk and actions showed he was of unsound
mind, he was taken in charge, and learning
from him that he was from Bucyrus they
brought him home. Andy was quite amused
at the astonishment of the citizens, and told
them: "Well, you folks call Andy crazy; but
what are you? A set of men who find a lot
of old sheep bones, and say they belong to
Andy, and all the time Andy is in the grove
behind a tree laughing at you." When Andy
died and where he was finally buried is not
known, but for many years the place in the
graveyard over the. river where the sheep
bones were mouldering to decay was humor-
ously pointed out as the grave of Andy
Hesser.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
99
At the time of the burning of the jail in
October, 183 1, the new courthouse was in proc-
ess of erection, and the county could not af-
ford to erect a permanent structure at that
time, so another temporary jail was erected on
the adjoining lot a few feet south of the
burned building. It was built as cheaply as it
was hurriedly, and appears to have had two
uses; first as a place in which to confine per-
sons when arrested, and second, as a source of
complaint to the various grand juries on ac-
count of its insecurity and condition. Its first
use was not a success, as its construction was
such that it was optional with the prisoner as
to how long he remained within its enclosures,
and the frequent departure, a few days be-
fore the trial, of those criminals who were
certain to be convicted kept the court and jury
busy with their complaints as to its condition.
Finally, in 1838, a proposition was submitted
to the people for a new jail, and it carried, and
on Feb. 4, 1839, the contract was awarded to
Zalmon Rowse. It was built of brick on the
lot donated by Norton for that purpose, just
north of the present Carnegie Memorial Li-
brary, the brick being made at the brick-yard
on Mansfield street, just east of the present
Kearsley residence. The building was two
low stories in height. Below in front were
two rooms for the sheriff and his family, and
at the rear were two rooms for the imprison-
ment of debtors. Above in front were two
more rooms for the sheriff, and at the rear
were two .cells for the prisoners, one in the
northeast and the other in the southeast cor-
ner of the building. Both were without win-
dows, and they were separated by a corridor,
running east and west, and at each end of this
corridor was a small window, so the only light
the prisoner had was that which came through
the little east window, and found its way to
his cell through the gratings of the cell door.
Later, a solid board fence, eight feet high, was
built around the lot at a cost of $58, with a
massive gate which was locked at night.
The first log jail was burned when John
Miller was sheriff. He was the second sheriff
of the county, succeeding Hugh McCracken,
who was elected to that office in October, 1826.
The pioneer traditions handed down are to the
effect that when the commissioners met in
May, 1826, they appointed Hugh McCracken
as the first sheriff. He had only recently
arrived in the town, but was a man of prom-
inence and integrity, and was promptly ap-
pointed by them. There was little to do, and
he did it satisfactorily, but being sheriff he
naturally pined for a jail, as the citizens prob-
ably did also. So Samuel Norton, of course,
donated the lot, and equally, -of course, Zal-
mon Rowse was given the contract for its
building. When it was burned it was no spe-
cial financial loss, and in a very short time
Zalmon had the second log structure ready
for use.
The little brick jail did duty for nearly
twenty years. In these good old days when a
man was unable to pay his debts all his cred-
itor had to do was to bring suit before a jus-
tice of the peace, and unless the bill was paid,
or satisfactorily secured, the unfortunate
debtor was unceremoniously arrested and
locked up until the amount was paid, or until
his creditor relented and let him. out. One
feature of the law was that if he could give
bond in double the amount of the debt that he
would not run away, he was allowed "debtor's
limits," which was freedom to go anywhere
within 400 yards of his prison. This limit was
allowed not so much for the debtor, but for
the creditor, as the man might then earn
enough to pay the debt.
During the building of the little brick jail,
James Harper was sheriff, and he occupied as
his residence a house that stood on South San-
dusky avenue, where now is the residence of
Dr. Yeoman, and while awaiting the comple-
tion of the new jail, minor prisoners were kept
in the court house, and the more serious of-
fenders were lodged in the Marion jail. The
principal events of the new brick jail all cen-
tered in the northeast cell, up stairs. A man
was locked up there, believed to be crazy, and
he determined to commit suicide. He was
very persevering in his job, for all he had to
hang himself to was a bed-post, two and a
half feet high, but he succeeded, and when the
sheriff opened the cell one morning he found
the prisoner dead.
In 1849 James Clements was sheriff. A
man had been arrested charged with incendia-
rism. Several fires had recently occurred in
Bucyrus, among others the furniture shop of
Peter Howenstein on East Mansfield street.
100
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
and a building on the rear of the lot at the
northwest corner of Warren and Poplar
streets. At the trial one of the strong points
of the prosecution was that there were foot-
prints on the soft ground, and the prisoner's
shoes just fitted these marks. He was found
guilty, the jury probably believing that he
ought to be guilty if he wasn't. Judge Bowen,
of Marion, who was presiding, mildly cen-
sured the jury for their verdict. The judge,
however, sentenced him to six years. The
prisoner stoutly declared his innocence, and
insisted he would never go to the penitentiary.
During his confinement in the jail he was a
quiet prisoner, giving no trouble, and making
friends of the sheriff's children, especially the
sheriff's little daughter who used to sit in front
of his cell while he interested her with fairy
tales.
The sheriff had arranged to take his pris-
oner to Columbus the following morning, and
had selected Jacob Scroggs to accompany him.
During the day the prisoner entertained the
sheriff's little daughter with more entrancing
fairy stories than usual, and succeeded in get-
ting her to give him the keys to his cell. That
night, after everything was quiet, he unlocked
his cell door, and started down the stairs on
his way to freedom. The sheriff was in the
room in front of the cell, and hearing the
noise, jumped from his bed, and without stop-
ping to dress started after the prisoner. There
was no light, but by the sound he followed
him to the room below, and although unarmed,
he rushed on the prisoner, who, although a
much stronger man, he managed to force up
stairs, and into his cell. The next morning,
when the sheriff came to look after his pris-
oner, he was dead, having cut his throat from
ear to ear. He had found freedom at last.
He left a note claiming his innocence, and
among other things was the terse statement:
"A poor man has no more chance in this world
than a flea in a hot boiler."
In 1830 when the court house was built
Crawford county had a population of 4,778
people; this had increased in 1850 to 18,177.
A new Constitution had been adopted by the
State in 1851, and this Constitution had added
a new office to the list of county officials, that
of probate judge. At the election in October,
1 85 1, Harvey Eaton was elected as the first
probate judge, and commenced his first term
in February, 1852, but his only duty at the
start was to draw his salary, as it was some
time before the Legislature had passed the
necessary laws relating to probate judges.
There were but four rooms in the court house,
and these were already occupied, so there was
no place for the new official. The commis-
sioners therefore rented a room of Andrew
Failor to be used by Judge Eaton as his office.
It was the room opposite the court house, now
occupi_ed by Mader & Crawford as a saloon.
For this room the commissioners paid $36 a
year. They started the new judge in busi-
ness by making an appropriation of $12 to buy
the necessary book in which to keep his rec-
ords, and another appropriation of $10 to buy a
seal. They furnished the office by buying a
set of chairs of Abe Yost for $5.25, and this
appropriation included a set of rulers; they
bought a table for $4, a stove of Daniel Pick-
ing for $10.97, ^'^d closed with an appropria-
tion of $5 for wood.
In 1850 the Cleveland, Columbus and Cin-
cinnati Railroad had been built through the
eastern part of the county, and in 1853 the
Ohio and Indiana railroad was also in opera-
tion through the county. The increase of busi-
ness and of population made the little court
house too small for the transaction of the pub-
lic business, and a new one became every day
more and more of a necessity.
■ When the county lines were changed in 1845
Auburn, Vernon and Jackson townships, and
the eastern part of Polk and Jefferson were
transferred from Richland county to Craw-
ford. Isaac Hetrick, the member of the Legis-
lature from Richland county at that time, se-
cured the passage of a resolution exempting
the people of that part of Richland county
which had been transferred to Crawford from
being taxed for the erection of public build-
ings "for all time." The claim was that Rich-
land county had new and modern public build-
ings, for which the Richland part of Crawford
had already been taxed, while the Crawford
public buildings were small and insufficient,
and while there was much that was just in the
resolution, the exemption "for all time"
showed that Legislatures were just as careless
and as thoughtless in the passage of laws in
those days as they are today.- Many other
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
101
complications had arisen in the formation of
the present Crawford county. An attempt was
made to have the Legislature make Galion the
county seat of the new county, but this propo-
sition was defeated through the work of Craw-
ford's representative, Samuel S. Caldwell.
Another proposition was submitted to the
Legislature to exempt that part of Marion
county recently attached to Crawford from the
payment of any taxes for the erection of pub-
lic buildings, of course with the beautiful
rider, "for all time." Mr. Caldwell promptly
killed this by calling attention to the fact that
no one from this attached section had asked
for the passage of any such act, and until they
did present a petition the Legislature had no
business to meddle in the matter.
To obviate matters like this subscriptions
were made by a number of citizens of the new
county to pay off the debt, and start the new
county free of all incumbrance. A number
subscribed, but it was soon seen that the pay-
ing off of the debt would not harmonize the
difficulties that had arisen, so George Sweney
refused to pay his subscription, and a test case
was brought against him by the commissioners.
The Common Pleas Court decided he must
pay, but when the case reached the Supreme
Court the county was beaten. So the com-
missioners allowed Josiah S. Plants $50 and
Cooper K. Watson $25 for conducting the case
for the county, and ordered the Treasurer to
refund all installments that had been paid by
parties subscribing. The money refunded
ought to indicate some of the "boosters" in
those days, so their names are given: Andrew
Brookmiller $1, Joseph S. Morris $2, John
Black $2, George Hurr $2, Michael Ruehl $2,
George Buehl $2, Dutchman $1, Henry Beck
$2, Lewis Heinlen $5, John Boyer $8, John
Gibson $2.50, Abraham Shull $2, Abraham
Yost $5, John Boeman $2.
The county commissioners also had to bal-
ance the finances of the different counties.
Wyandot county had no public buildings, but
had been taxed for the erection of those in
Crawford, and asked a refunding, and on
June 24, 1845, the commissioners of Craw-
ford and Wyandot met in joint session and it
was found the debt of Crawford county was
$2,220.97, exclusive of public buildings; there
was cash on hand of $1,886.52, so Crawford
owed Wyandot nothing. In the road fund
Wyandot was found to be entitled to $145,71,
and an order was issued to pay Wyandot the
money. Wyandot demanded a refund of the
money that had been paid by the Wyandot tax
payers in the building of the new jail, but it
was refused.
When the rearrangement of the new Craw-
ford county was made Richland county was
the second most populous county in the State,
being exceeded only by Hamilton county. It
had fine public buildings, so Crawford made
demands on Richland for any balance that
might be due Crawford from Richland. On
Aug. 28, 1845, the commissioners of the two
counties met, the accounts were gone over, and
it was found the debt of Richland county ex-
ceeded the cash in the treasury, so Crawford
received nothing.
In 1854 the proposition was submitted to
the voters of Crawford county for a new court
house and the proposition carried. O. S. Kin-
ney was the architect, and the contract was let
to Ault & Miller of Mt. Gilead, and the build-
ing was completed in 1856 at a cost of $18,-
000. During the erection of the building the
county officials occupied rooms in various
parts of the village, the court room being the
second story of the frame building still stand-
ing at the southeast corner of Sandusky and
Warren. This court house is easily remem-
bered by many of the present citizens of Bucy-
rus, as the present structure is the same build-
ing with additions. It had two stories and an
unused basement. In front were wide steps
leading up to the entrance where was a portico
supported by large wooden columns. The in-
terior was the same as at present, with a cor-
ridor running down the centre and the offices
on each side. On the right of the entrance was
the auditor, and in the northeast corner the
recorder, while cramped between this office and
the auditor was a small room for the treas-
urer. On the left of the entrance was the clerk,
with the surveyor in the northwest room and
the probabte judge in the centre. The court
room occupied the centre of the second floor,
the judge's bench was on the north side of
the room, and above and back of it was a
balcony; underneath the balcony on each side
of the bench were the jury rooms. At the
south end was another similar balcony, and
102
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
underneath this on the west was the sheriff's
office and the east room was used by the prose-
cutor, the commissioners, the judge, a wait-
ing room for the witnesses and a consultation
room.
The new court house was dedicated on Fri-
day evening, April 24, 1857, and it was a
veritable house warming. The town was full
of people, every township in the county being
represented. The court room and the two
galleries "were crowded with citizens to listen
to the music furnished by Kronenberger's Sax
Horn Band and the Bucyrus Quartette Club.
At 10 o'clock supper was served at all three of
the hotels, the McCoy, the \\'estern and the
American House, and while the people were
doing full justice to the supper, the court
room was cleared and dancing commenced
which continued until early in the morning. A
fence was erected around the entire yard; it
was of iron pickets, set in stone, the founda-
tion being nearly two feet high. While there
was no attempt at ornairientation the fence
was attractive, appropriate and expensive.
Many years ago this court house became too
small for the increased business of the county
and the increased force of officials necessary
to handle that business.
For half a century this $18,000 structure
had filled its mission, and the officials were
cramped, the records scattered, in any incon-
venient place temporarily that could be found.
It was a known fact that any proposition sub-
mitted to the voters of the county would fail
to carry, so the commissioners took advantage
of that provision of the law which allows them
to make improvements on public buildings.
They improved the court house, and when it
was completed the improvement had cost about
double that of the original building, and gave
an added floor space as large as the original
structure. The improvement consisted of the
addition built at the rear as it exists today.
^^'hen completed the first floor of the addition
on the east was used as the recorder's office
with private room and vault. The west room
was the probate iudge's office with private
room and vault. On the second floor the east
room was the clerk's office, with private room
and vault and a room for the judge or prose-
cuting attorney. The west end was occu-
pied by the sheriff and surveyor. The third
floor had a room for the examination of teach-
ers, and other meetings, and also rooms for the
use of any of the various county boards. The
offices and rooms were all large and commodi-
ous, and fitted with all modern improvements,
and the basement was cemented and walled in
a modern way so as to make an available
room for the Agricultural Society or the
Board of Elections, with several large storage
rooms. There were severe criticisms of the
commissioners over the extensive nature of the
improvements at the time they were made, but
as the time passed the wisdom of the commis-
sioners in providing the additional room so
greatly needed was generally approved. The
new addition left the original building occu-
pied by the auditor and commissioners on the
east and the treasurer on the west.
The court house now, with its fairly spa-
cious offices and many vaults had ample room
for the transaction of the business of the
county and the safe storage of all the records.
But another element now made its attack on
the half century old court house, and this was
time, from whose ravages there is no protec-
tion. The wooden pillars supporting the por-
tico were showing signs of weakness and de-
cay; the wooden tower containing the heavy
bell became vmsafe, and notwithstanding an
intense public feeling against a new court
house the commissioners were compelled to
submit the matter to the voters for funds to
repair the building, and at the election on Nov.
6, 1906, the expected verdict against was ren-
dered by the people. It carried the city of
Bucyrus by a majority of 866, lost Gabon by
405 and Crestline by 163. In the country it
carried but two townships. Auburn by 5 votes
and Lykins 4. It lost the other 14 townships.
Liberty heading the country opposition with
170 majority against. The total vote ^^•as
Yes — 2,979, Xo — 3,494, majority against 515.
This settled the matter as far as the commis-
sioners were concerned, but Father Time de-
clined to abide by the vote, and matters ran on
until a part of the ceiling fell in the court room,
an area of over 100 square feet, of plastering,
caused by the weight of the tower on the
weakened roof. A thorough examination was
made of the tower and it was reported unsafe.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
105
The heavy bell might at any time make a pass-
ing visit through the court room on its way
to the basement below.
This being the condition, Judge Babst de-
clined to hold court in the building, so quarters
were secured at the Memorial Library. The
matter was now taken up by the commission-
ers in conjunction with the citizens, and a
committee of four were appointed to act on a
suggestion made that the people be consulted
directly on the matter and the responsibility
thrown upon them. Following this view the
committee reported the names of two prom-
inent citizens in each voting precinct, and
these men were requested by the commission-
ers to meet at Bucyrus to examine the court
house and advise as to what should be done.
Of the 80 advisers selected nearly every one
responded, and they examined the court house
from basement to tower, and then met in the
office of the probate judge to render their deci-
sion. The commissioners, preparing for the
emergency, for the past two years had made
a small levy for building purposes ; this now
amounted to about $40,000, with perhaps
$10,000 available from other sources. Harlan
F. Jones, a Mansfield architect, had submitted
plans by which the old part of the court house
could be remodeled for $90,000. It was easily
seen that the majority of those present recog-
nized the necessity that something should be
done. The first suggestion of a new court
house met with overwhelming defeat. The
first motion was for a one mill levy for four
years, a one mill levy bringing in about $20,-
000. This was very unfavorably received; a
one mill levy for three years was defeated by
a small majority, and the final vote of one
mill for two years, which would raise the
building fund to the $90,000 estimated for the
improvement was carried almost unanim-
ously. The question then came before the
voters again at the election on Nov. 5, 1907,
and it was carried by a vote of 3,665 yes and
2,784 no. Bucyrus again led with 1,176 major-
ity for the proposition, while Galion gave 263
majority against and Crestline 134. In the
country ten townships favored the proposi-
tion, and six returned an adverse majority,
leaving the country vote for it by a majority
of 102.
The county commissioners at this time were
Louis Gearhart of Holmes, Frank P. Dick of
Dallas, and Hugh M. Dobbins of Bucyrus.
Judge Babst appointed as a building commis-
sion to act in conjunction with the commis-
sioners, Frank P. Donnenwirth and John Q.
Shunk of Bucyrus, W. I. Goshorn of Galion,
and Jacob Babst of Crestline. The only impor-
tant change made in the plans was -the plac-
ing of a stone covering over the entire build-
ing. A. E. Hancock of Mansfield was the con-
tractor, and the new structure was completed
within the estimated cost with enough left
over to build and equip the electric light
plant of the court house. During the con-
struction of the front of the building the
offices were continued in the court house,
with the exception of that of the treasurer,
who for a time had the office at the Farm-
ers and Citizens Bank, the county treasurer,
George W. Miller, being president of that in-
stitution, and court was held in the Memorial
Library. The foundation stone was laid by
the Grand Lodge of Masons assisted by Trin-
ity Lodge, No. 556 of Bucyrus, on Aug. 17,
1908. At the completion of the building
there was no house warming or celebration.
In the new court room the judge's bench was
placed in the east. On the left of the en-
trance to the building in a niche was placed a
life-sized statue of Col. Crawford, ^^•hile in
the basement were placed two waiting rooms.
After the erection of the court house in 1856
it was deemed advisable to build a new jail.
The one built in 1838 was a small structure of
soft brick, and as a place of confinement was
not a success. It took more care and skill to
keep the prisoners after their arrest than it
did to capture them. Nothing special had hap-
pened to the old jail, except that on Sept. 4,
1850, the building had been struck by light-
ning, but no damage was done; a number of
prisoners had escaped from the building, and
orie, preferring death to liberty, had com-
mitted suicide. Commissioners, grand juries
and sheriffs made frequent complaints as to
its condition, and the final blow fell in Feb-
ruary, 1858, when a young man named John
Mouse made his escape. He had robbed the
till at the Oregon House, and was arrested and
placed in the jail. Mouse treated his impri-
sonment as a joke and assured the sheriff that
after he had rested up for a few days at the
106
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
expense of the county he would leave. He
kept his word, and a few nights later made his
escape, by the use of a false key he had con-
structed, unlocking the door, and quietly walk-
ing out.
John Franz was sheriff at the time, and while
the till-robbing was only a minor offense, and
the escape of the prisoner was good riddance,
yet the contempt with which the prisoner had
treated his incarceration, made the sheriff
justly indignant, and he determined on his
recapture. The sheriff finally found him at
Sandusky City, and brought him back. He
came quietly, but again assured the sheriff that
when he got tired of stopping with him he
would again leave. Franz locked him up in the
strongest cell on the second floor, and a few
nights later Mouse made his word good he
dug a hole in the brick wall, just large enough
for his body to squeeze through, dropped into
the yard, climbed the eight foot fence which
surrounded the building, and was gone for
good.
As in the "Pied Piper of Hamelin," "the
mayor looked blue, and so did the corporation
too." It was the final blow, and the commis-
sioners promptly issued a proclamation for an
election to vote on a new jail, to cost $6,000,
one-half to be levied in 1858 and the other half
in 1859. The Mouse escapes were so fresh
in the minds of the people that at the April
election the proposition carried easily. A con-
tract was entered into with E. Jacobs &. Co.,
of Cincinnati, for the jail part for $5,500, and
with George B. Terwilliger, of Bucyrus, for
the balance of the structure $3,076.98. It was
bviilt on the site of the old jail, and did duty
for a quarter of a century, and is still standing
and now occupied as a private residence.
ESCAPE OF PRISONERS
While it was building, John Franz was
Sheriff, and occupied as his residence the house
at the southwest corner of Charles and Lane,
now the home of B. F. Lauck. During the
erection of the new jail prisoners charged
with minor offenses were lodged in the city
prison, while the more serious offenders were
placed in the Wyandot county jail. The jail
proved to be a very safe structure, but there
was one notable escape. It was in 1872, in the
heat of the campaign of Grant against Greeley
for the presidency.
James Worden was the sheriff, serving his
second term, and he had only two prisoners
in the jail, Billy Ring and his partner, charged
with theft. On Friday morning, Aug. 30,
1872, the sheriff discovered his two prisoners
had made their escape. An examination
showed they had drilled about fifty holes
through the iron floor of their cell, which was
about a third of an inch thick. These holes
were bored on three sides of the opening they
made, 'and with a crow bar they pried up the
iron floor, breaking off the fourth side, leaving
a hole about 7^ by 13 inches, through which
they escaped; they crawled through several
passages, through four different openings in
the foundation walls before they reached the
cellar, after which their final escape was easy.
They left the following letter, written on the
back of an engraving torn from the "Ladies'
Repository" :
Crawford County Jail, Aug. 20, 1872.
Sheriff Worden :
Respected Friend : — Having but a few more moments
to stay, we tliought we would devote them to writing to
you. Deeming it proper to seek some other place of
refuge, and as we did not wish to awake you from your
slumbers, therefore we thought we would go without in-
forming you.
P. S. — We think we will vote for Greeley.
In 1877 John A. Schaber was elected sheriff,
and during his term he had occasion to take
five prisoners to Columbus — four men and one
woman. They were all handcuffed, and the
men were connected in pairs by a heavy chain.
The sheriff took as assistants, Lewis Strem-
mel, George Myers and W. P. Rowland.
They drove to Gallon, and after all were
safely on the train, Rowland returned home.
When the train reached Delaware it was neces-
sary to transfer from one car to another.
Stremmel went first, the four male prisoners
following, Myers next, then the woman, the
sheriff bringing up the rear. As they reached
the platform, the first two men jumped from
the steps on the side opposite the station.
Stremmel promptly jumped from the car and
grabbed them. They raised the heavy chair
with which they were manacled and brought
it down with such severe force on Stremmel's
head as to knock him senseless. Sheriff
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
107
Schaber seeing or hearing the disturbance
forced his way past the woman, and drew his
revolver, but already a crowd had collected,
making it dangerous to shoot. In attempting to
lower his revolver it went off, the ball striking
the Sheriff himself on the hand, inflicting
a slight flesh wound. The Rev. Mr. Byers,
an ex-chaplain of the Penitentiary happened to
be present, and being used to hardened crim-
inals, with the assistance of the sheriff and
Myers soon had the prisoners under control.
The woman in the car had been left to her-
self and might have escaped, but the passen-
gers rising in the excitement so blocked the
way as to make escape impossible. She was
a "high kicker" and contented herself with
planting one of her feet under the chin of a
six-foot traveling man who barred her way.
The injured guard, Stremmel, was carried to
the station and restored to consciousness, and
although thirty years have passed he still car-
ries the scar from the blow. Additional help
was obtained at Delaware and the prisoners
were safely landed in the penitentiary by the
sheriff, but on his return home the wound and
the excitement brought on a severe fever
which confined him to his house for several
days.
In time, the increasing growth and busi-
ness of the county made a new jail a necessity,
and in 1881, the commissioners had about
$10,000 in the building fund, and they sub-
mitted the question of a new jail to the peo-
ple. It was the most bitter non-political elec-
tion that ever occurred in the county with one
exception. The sheriff's proclamation called
for the vote on the jail on a separate ballot,
the votes to be returned to the auditor for can-
vassing.
The election took place on Tuesday, Oct. 1 1 ,
1881, and the returns from every precinct
showed that 2,475 votes were for the new jail
and 2,789 against; majority against 314. The
proposition carried Bucyrus by 981 to 65, and
Crestline by 315 to 66. Gallon and Polk
township gave the phenomenal vote of 12 for
the proposition and 1221 against an adverse
majority of 1,209. I" the country. Auburn,
Dallas, Holmes Lykins, Texas Tod and Whet-
stone were for the proposition, and t^hatfield,
Cranberry, Jefferson, Liberty, Sandusky, Ver-
non against. The vote was cast at a regular
election, and in those days election returns
were forwarded to the clerk of the court. In
the printing of the ballots, Auburn, Dallas,
Whetstone, and the Second, Third and Fourth
wards of Gallon had placed the jail proposi-
tion on the regular ballot, and the vote in these
precincts were returned to the clerk, and not
to the auditor. A study of the returns showed
these precincts erroneously returned had given
337 for the jail and 1,056 against, and the jail
being a necessity the returning board, con-
sisting of the auditor and commissioners, met
and proceeded to count the jail returns that
were before them, which eliminated the six
precincts that had been returned to the clerk,
and it was found the proposition had carried by
a vote of 2,138 to 1,733, or a majority of 405
for the new jail. This official result was de-
clared and the returning board adjourned.
In 1826, the Ohio Gazeteer spoke of Bucyrus
as "a lively post town in the southeastern part
of Crawford county," and now after nearly
three score years and ten had passed for about
four weeks Bucyrus was again the "liveliest"
town not only in Crawford county but in the
State of Ohio. Indignant citizens swarmed to
the county seat, protests and resolutions were
sent to the commissioners, an indignant Gabon
council forwarded to the auditor official re-
turns of the three eliminated wards of Gallon,
demanding their vote be counted, but the time
limit had passed under the law by which a re-
count could be made, so nothing could be done.
Public opinion quieted down, and the matter
came to be regarded as a shrewd move, the
necessity for the jail was apparent, and the
whole affair degenerated into a huge joke on
Gabon, and when the humor of the situation
became the predominant feature, ridicule
killed all opposition, as it generally does.
Eventually, the action of the commissioners
was practically universally approved.
The next step was a change of location, the
people and the commissioners being of the
opinion the proper place for the jail was at the
rear of the court house instead of across the
street. A point was raised by the opponents ol
the jail that Norton had donated the jail lot,
and if it was abandoned for jail purposes it
would revert to the Norton heirs. In answer
to this E. R. Kearsley produced a paper cover-
ing this contingency. When he was auditor in
108
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
1854 he had foreseen that this question might
arise some day, and had secured a signed
agreement from Mr. Norton allowing the
county at any time to sell the old jail site, pro-
viding the money received from the sale was
used for the purchase of a new site. Another
difficulty was that the site needed — in lot 126,
adjoining the court house on the north — had
been occupied by Martin Deal as a residence
for many years ; it was his homestead, and the
associations that clung around it made him
object to disposing of it. The property was
condemned, and bought by the county for
$4,500, and that time probably the highest
price paid for a similar lot in Bucyrus. The
architect of the new jail was J. C. Johnson of
Fremont, his plans estimating the cost at $23,-
000. The lowest bid on the contract was a Ft.
Wayne firm, who neglected to give bond, and
the contract was awarded to the second low-
est bidder, Peter Faeth of New Washington,
for $22,293. The old jail was sold to Dr. C.
Fulton, in 1883, for $3,900, and the old
buildings on the Deal lot were sold for
$445.10. The Deal residence was purchased
by Peter Faeth, who moved it to the northeast
corner of the Court House lot and occupied it
during the erection of the new jail. In 1909
the commissioners secured an option on the
lot between the jail and the railroad, the build-
ing of the new court house making it inadvis-
able to purchase at that time. Unfortunately
the option was allowed to lapse, as it is prop-
erty which should be owned by the county.
In the early history of the county, the poor
were cared for by the respective townships, one
of the most important offices prior to the con-
stitution of 185 1 was that of overseer of the
poor. To this thankless office the best men in
each township took turns in serving, filling the
position from a sense of duty alone. If at
any time any one came to the county who
might eventually become a charge upon the
county, the county had the right to demand
that the newcomer gave bond that he would
never become a public charge. There is one
record where this right was used. About
1828, a man died in Roanoke county, Virginia,
and on his death liberated his slaves with suf-
ficient money to transport them to some point
in the north. A number of them came to
Crawford county, settling two miles south of
Bucyrus, which gave the name of the "Nigger
Woods" to the grove where they located. It
was the farm for so many years known as the
Gormly farm and later as the Beal farm. The
Overseers of the Poor demanded a bond of
$500 each that they would not become a pub-
lic charge. This they could not give, so they
were compelled to leave. One family re-
mained, the man being known as "Old Solo-
mon." The bulk of the negroes having left,
no objection was made to the old man remain-
ing, and in a very few years he died, and his
widow married again, Zalmon Rowse, as
justice of the peace, going down to perform
the ceremony. He was accompanied by Josiah
Scott and Madison Welsh, three cronies in
those days, who got all the rough sport they
could out of the first colored wedding in
Crawford county. It has been traditionary his-
tory that these slaves were a part of the fam-
ily of the celebrated statesmen, John Randolph
of Roanoke, who released all his slaves by
will at the time of his death. Randolph died
in 1833, and these negroes were certainly here
in 1830, probably as early as 1828, so they
were not the Randolph slaves.
W^hile each township cared for its own
poor, they were let to the lowest "responsible"
bidder. It was probably the only way in those
early days that they could be cared for, but
it was not the most humane way, as bidders
sometimes bid very low for the keeping of the
pauper, and as a result he was kept in a way
that the bidder could make money on his in-
vestment. There were occasions when the
pauper was very poorly fed and worse clad,
and as for housing, kept in the same shed with
the cattle or the dog, the same scraps being fed
to him and the dog at the same time, with a
division of food in favor of the dog. On the
least provocation he was chained, and the chil-
dren found amusement in hitting him with
sticks and stones to make him frantic. Some-
times the inhumanity of keepers brought com-
plaints from the neighbors, and the overseers
promptly took charge of the unfortunate and
relet him to some new bidder.
After the adoption of the new constitution
in 185 1 Crawford county had at the time a
population of nearly 20,000 people (1850 cen-
sus, 18,177), and at the October election of
1856 a proposition was submitted for the se-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
109
curing of a site and the building of an infirm-
ary, but it was defeated by a vote of 2,168 to
1,017, more than two to one. It carried
Bucyrus by 457 to 26 and Cranberry by 94 to
92, and lost every other township in the county.
Under the new constitution the township
trustees had charge of the poor, and they
were still let to some party for their keeping.
It was very unsatisfactory, as the most care-
ful watchfulness could not prevent cruelties
occurring, and a county infirmary became an
absolute necessity. A compromise was made
with the eastern part of the county by which
the infirmary would be located between Bucy-
rus and Galion, and in 1864 it was again sub-
mitted to a vote, and carried by 2,246 to 1,654,
a majority of 592. It carried the townships of
Bucyrus, Jackson, Polk and Tod, was a tie in
Chatfield, and lost the other ten townships.
Its heavy favorable vote in Bucyrus, Galion
and Crestline, on account of the compromise
as to location, enabled it to carry. The site
selected was 240 acre of fine farming land in
sections 16, 17 and 21 Whetstone township
along the Galion road three miles southeast of
Bucyrus. On this a large three-story building
was erected by David Shanks at a cost of about
$30,000, a plain, commodious brick structure,
but with no attempt at ornamentation. As
time passed the various necessary outbuildings
were erected, and also a very modern structure
for the care of the insane. The farm of the
infirmary not only supplies its own provisions,
but' a surplus is sold every year. Much of the
work of the farm is done by the inmates, who
for the past few years average about 70. From
the sale of the surplus products, and the funds
received annually from the liquor tax the in-
stitution is practically self-sustaining
When the county was organized in 1826 the
principal difficulty with which the early pio-
neers had to contend were the roads. Most
came in the summer, when the low, marshy
ground was passable, and those who failed to
come in the summer or early fall waited until
the ground was frozen, and even built their
cabins in the depths of the' forest with the
snow covering the trees and ground. The first
settlers followed the old military road, and
after reaching the county branched off to the
north or south of this road, which accounts for
the fact that after the early settlers had drifted
over into the northeastern part of the county
from the Connecticut lands, nearly all the
early settlers are found to have taken up land
in what is now Jackson, Jefferson, Polk,
northern Whetstone and Bucyrus, and south-
ern Liberty and Sandusky, a strip of territory
within four miles to the north or south of the
present Pennsylvania road, which is the strong-
est of circumstantial evidence that the old
army road was somewhere near the centre of
this tract, and at no point through the county
very far from the Pennsylvania road. Those
settling in the eastern part entered their land
at Wooster, while those around Bucyrus, com-
ing from the east, selected their site, built their
cabin, and then made their trip of forty miles
on foot or on horseback, across the plains and
through the forest to Delaware, where their
land was entered. Gen. Harrison, in 181 2,
had constructed a road through Delaware to
Upper Sandusky, passing through where
Marion now is. This road the pioneers reached
at the nearest point ana followed it to Dela-
ware, but later they made a trail for them-
selves, wandering in and out over the highest
and best ground straight south from Bucyrus.
As early as 1819 the settlers in the eastern
part of the county (then Richland county) had
made a road for themselves from where Ga-
lion now is through Jefferson, Auburn and
Vernon, and on to Paris (Plymouth), where
a road existed through New Haven to Huron
on Lake Erie, thus giving them an outlet to
points where they could get their supplies.
On account of the difficulties of land trans-
portation, it was necessary to reach some
point where there was water navigation. At
Huron, where goods had arrived from the
east by water, necessaries could be purchased
25 per cent cheaper than at Mansfield, and
prices paid for the products the hunter and
settler had to sell were 25 per cent higher.
The necessity of taking grain to the mill at
Fredericktown, made a trail southeast from
Bucyrus througb Whetstorte township; this
later became a traveled road, and when the
county was organized developed into the Mt.
Vernon road. The settlement at Leveridge's
or Hos ford's (Galion) was connected with
Bucyrus by an Indian trail, later became a
pioneer road, and still later a mail route to
Mansfield, now the Bucyrus and Galion road.
110
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
The first real road was the Columbus and
Portland (Sandusky) road. It was surveyed
by Col. Kilbourne about 1820, and a charter
granted by the Legislature for a State road.
The road was from Columbus to Delaware,
then to Mt. Gilead (then in Marion county),
then north through the western part of Gal-
ion, through the present villages of Middle-
town, Leesville and West Liberty, and north-
east to Paris (Plymouth) and on to Portland
(Sandusky). From Hosford's settlement
(Gallon) north it was practically following
the original road cut through the woods by the
early settlers. In the building of roads high
ground was looked after more than direct
route, and when the road reached Leveridge's
Kilbourne proposed to have it pass on the high
ground where the Gallon public square now is ;
here it was to cross an east and west road from
Mansfield to Bucyrus". Kilbourne proposed to
Leveridge to cross at this point, lay out a town
and divide the profits, but Leveridge decided
he had too fine a farm to spoil it by cutting it
up into town lots, so the road was, run through
the Hosford settlement, on the east side of the
Whetstone, half a mile west of Leveridge's,
over low ground, which was frequently over-
flowed and during the west season often im-
passable. A town was not laid out here, but the
crossing of the two roads soon brought a few
shops and a tavern, and the settlement became
known as "The Corners."
The natural outlet to secure the best market
for Bucyrus was Portland (Sandusky) on the
Lake, and constant trips through the woods to
that point soon made a road. Travel to
Marion after 1823 soon made a road to that
point, another bore southwest to Little San-
dusky (the present Wyandot road), where it
joined the north and south road from Colum-
bus to Upper Sandusky, and from where it
continued its route southwest to Marysville
and Bellefontaine. The road built by Harri-
son in 1812 from Franklinton (Columbus) to
Upper Sandusky, as far north as Norton, in
the northern part of Delaware county, was a
part of the present Columbus and Sandusky
Pike. In 1820 Kilbourne had continued this
road north bearing east, following the Whet-
stone, as his Columbus and Portland road.
Settlers continued drifting to the west, and in
1822, Kilbourne laid out his direct road north
to Sandusky, the present Sandusky pike, 106
miles from Columbus to the Lake, and several
miles shorter than the shortest of the three
roads that then ran from Columbus to San-
dusky. On this road he laid out the towns of
Claridon in Marion county, Bucyrus in Craw-
ford county, and Caroline in Seneca county.
Later this road became the most traveled from
Columbus to the Lake. John Kilbourne, a
nephew of Col. Kilbourne, in his Ohio Gazet-
teer of 1826, says: "During the last session of
the Legislature (Dec. 1825) the author peti-
tioned for the grant of a turnpike incorporation
to construct a road from Columbus to Sandusky
city, a distance of 104 miles in a direct line.
An act was accordingly passed therefor. But
whether the requisite funds to make it can be
raised is yet (March 1826) somewhat uncer-
tain. But its benefits and advantages to above
one half the northern and western part of the
state are so obvious that the presumption is
that it will be made."
When the county was organized in 1826,
these were the routes of travel, called high
ways, as they went from one point to another
over the highest and best ground. The road
from the east, from Gallon to Bucyrus, was a
mail route, with a tri-weekly line of stages in
1826, and yet that road from Galion to Bucy-
rus, with its half dozen turns and curves to-
day, is an air line in comparison to the way
it wandered through the country in its stage
coach days, and it was a road in name only.
As late as 1834, the father of R. W. Johnston
of Galion was a teamster with headquarters at
Mansfield. He hauled goods from Philadel-
phia or Baltimore to the merchants at Mans-
field, the freight charges being from $4 to $5
per hundred pounds. He used one or more six
horse teams for the hauling. In February,
1834, he had a consignment of goods for E.
B. Merriman at Bucyrus. He had four horses
to draw the wagon that delivered the goods.
When he started to return the spring thaw had
set in and when in the present Beltz neighbor-
hood the empty wagon drawn by four horses
became so mired that he had to go to the near-
est farm house to get teams and men to push,
pry and pull the wagon out of the swampy
ground in which it was embedded. In 1845,
E. B. Monnett, taking four sacks of wheat
across one of the Plains roads to the mill at
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
111
Wyandot, found four horses unable to drag the
light load over a county road, and additional
assistance had to be secured to extricate the
wagon. In 1858, on the State Turnpike be-
tween Bucyrus and Chatfield, a road built
thirty years previous, and built, too, partly by
donations from Congress, George Donnenwirth
with a light load of beer was mired, com-
pelled to shoulder each keg, and carry it
across the impassable road, and leave the
horses to pull the empty wagon to higher and
better ground, reload his beer, and proceed on
his way. In 1824, when Aaron Carey was
made postmaster at Bucyrus a weekly line of
stages was established from Columbus to San-
dusky. It gave the passengers exercise during
the wet season, as at the worst parts of the
road, several miles of which were in Crawford
county, the passengers all walked to enable the
horses to drag the empty coach over the bad
places. One of the necessary articles carried
by all coaches was an axe, which was used to
cut down saplings, for use as poles with A\'hich
the driver and passengers would pry the heavy
coach out of some chuck-hole in which it was
stalled. Frequently, through the plains, the
driver left the road, where on the right or left
he was able to find better ground. Where the
road passed through the swampy ground it was
made of corduroy, trunks of trees laid sidewise.
Heavy straps were stretched across the in-
terior of the stage, to which the unfortunate
passenger desperately clung to avoid being
thrown from his seat, as the heavy and cum-
bersome coach bounced and rocked, and
lurched and rolled over this rough roadway.
Here is an advertisement of this mail route
taken from the Columbus Gazette, of Aug. 28,
1823:
"PROPOSALS FOR CARRYING MAILS."
Leave Norton by Claridon, Bucyrus, Sherman,
Oxford and Perkins to Sandusky City, once a week
80 miles.
"Leave Norton every Saturday at noon, and ar-
rive at Sandusky City by Monday at 6 p. m.
"Leave Sandusky City every Tuesday at 6 a. m.,
and arrive at Norton the next Thursday at noon."
Thus, the first regular mail arrived in Bucy-
rus on a government schedule of 80 miles in
54 hours, and it can be imagined that the en-
tire village turned out to greet the first arrival
and hold a jollification over the important
event, and Zalmon Rowse and Merriman and
Norton were the envy of their neighbors when
the driver of the coach accepted drinks at their
expense, and condescended to converse with
them as equals, and every small boy inwardly
resolved that when he became a man the
height of his ambition would be reached if
he could only become the driver of a stage
coach.
This stage route was from Columbus to
Norton, to Marion, to Bucyrus; then to Sher-
man (now Weaver's Corners 15 miles south-
west of Norwalk) ; then to Oxford (now
Bloomingville nine miles northwest of Nor-
walk), and to Perkin and Sandusky City.
A year later, in September, 1824, John Kil-
bourne commenced his advocacy of a turnpike
over about this same road from Columbus to
the lake, one so constructed that it would be
"navigable" at all seasons of the year. In an
article in the Columbus Gazette of Sept. 23,
1824, he says that the freight rate from New
York to Sandusky City is $1.75 per hundred
weight (112 pounds), and that if a pike road
were built from Sandusky to Columbus, goods
could be shipped from New York to Colum-
bus, at $2.75 per cwt., which is but a fraction
over one-half what we now pay from Phila-
delphia to Columbus. He then adds :
"Besides, this northern route would be the
quickest, thus,
"To Sandusky. .. 126 miles, as the road goes 3 days
"Buffalo 2S0 miles 2 days
"Albany 300 miles 3 days
"New York 144 miles 1 day
"Philadelphia 90 miles 1 day
910 miles 10 days
"And that for only about $40 expense, in-
cluding carriage and tavern bills. I know this
is correct as I went this route myself."
Ten days from Columbus to New York,
and this Mr. Kilbourne says was the "quick-
est" route. Three days from Columbus to
Sandusky indicates the stages through Bucy-
rus did not travel the road after night, but
made their journey only during daylight when
the driver could pick his way over the road and
dodge the tree stumps which might wreck the
coach.
Prior to 1826 Bucyrus had a mail coming
from Bellefontaine once a week, through Lit-
tle Sandusky. A man named Snyder was the
carrier, and he made the trip on horseback, but
sometimes when the road was particularly bad,
112
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
he made the entire journey on foot, with the
mail sack swung over his shoulder. Prior to
the weekly stage line from Columbus to San-
dusky the man who carried the mail \\hen
he reached Bucyrus, found the road to the
north so impassable that he left his horse at
Bucyrus, shouldered his mail sack, and made
the trip to Sandusky and back on foot. Mail
delivered at Bucyrus at that time included all
the settlers within a radius of probably eight
or ten miles from that village. In 1826 there
was but one post office in that part of the
county which is now Crawford county, and
that was at Bucyrus; in v/hat was then the
Richland county part of Crawford county
there was a post office at Gallon and at Tiro
(three miles north of the present Tiro). In
that part of Crawford which in 1844 became
\A/yandot county there were post offices at
Upper Sandusky and Little Sandusky.
These were the roads and their condition,
the post offices and their locations, when the
county was organized in 1826. There was but
one village in the present Crawford county,
Bucyrus ; one settlement in the Richland county
part. Galleon, located at the crossing of the
two roads, with half a dozen houses, a settle-
ment which thrived and prospered until the
present Gallon was laid out in 1832 when the
buildings at the Corners gradually became de-
serted and crumbled to decay, and when 50
years later the territory of the original settle-
ment became a part of Gallon, but one house
was standing on what was in early days one of
the two business centres of the county.
The only stores in the present county were
at Bucyrus, those of E. B. Merriman, Henry
St. John and Samuel Bailey, or his successors
Bowers & French ; there were several shops at
Bucyrus, and two or three at the Corners at
Galleon ; there were three distilleries, all in the
Richland county part ; one ran by John Adrian,
near where Leesville now is ; another by Nathan
Merriman, near Galleon, and the third by
JTames Nail, on the Whetstone, southwest of
Galleon. There had been a distillery I'un by
McMichael & Rogers on the banks of the San-
dusky, the site of the present electric light
works, but it had been discontinued. Carey
had a grist mill in Bucyrus, and the McMichael
mill was a mile up the river, while a mile south
west on the Sandusky was the mill of William
Young. The other grist mills were in the Rich-
land county part, Hibner's mill, northwest of
Galleon, where the C. C. & C. road now crosses
a branch of the Glen Tangy, Hosford, Park,
Sharrock and Nail had mills along the Whet-
stone. There were saw mills in many of the
townships along the various streams. There
was a Methodist and a Baptist church in Au-
burn township (then Richland county), but
no church yet erected in the Crawford county
part; there was a log school house in Bucyrus,
one in the Blowers settlement, Liberty town-
ship, and one in Auburn township. There were
taverns at Bucyrus, one at the northeast corner
of Sandusky and Perry, run by Robert More,
while across Sandusky avenue on the Carey
lot was a tavern kept by Samuel Roth, who
was also Justice of the Peace. At the Comers
(Galleon) William Hosford had a tavern, and
there were several houses along the main roads,
not exactly taverns but recognized as places
for the entertainment of travelers.
The following is the estimated population of
the county in 1826; also the populations in 1830
and 1840. The population of 1826 is esti-
mated at one-half of the official population of
1830, and is probably a very close and fair
estimate :
1826.
Craw- Wyan-
tord. dot.
Antrim 70
Bucyrus 463
Centre
Chatfield '. ...
Cranberry
Crawford 499
Holmes
Jackson
Liberty 372
Lykins
Mifflin
Pitt 92
Sandusky 346
Sycamore 22 1.S0
Tymochtee
Whetstone 375
1830.
Craw- Wyan-
ford. dot.
... 139
724 ...
'90 '.'.'.
112
202
655
1840.
Craw- Wyan-
ford. dot.
200
275
579
44
750
184
300
724
61
1654
32
878
680
'744
636
1469
742
679
200
ii24
100
812
316
423
"758
1659
Totals, old
Crawford 1578
Auburn,
Richland Co. 136
Sandusky,
Richland Co. 143
Vernon,
Richland Co. 139
Scott,
Marion Co... 66
Tully,
Marion Co. . . 47
Totals, pres-
ent Crawford 2109
811
3156 1622
272 ...
385 ...
278 ...
112 ...
97 ...
4300 ....
8899 4268
680 ....
977 ....
693 ....
285 ....
290 ....
11824 ....
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
113
It will be seen by the above that the esti-
mated population of Crawford county when it
was authorized to organize as a county, was
2,389, of which 1,578 were in the Crawford
county part, and 811 in the Wyandot section.
In 1836 the population was 4,770, of these
3,156 being the Crawford part and 1,622 Wy-
andot. In 1840 the population was 13,167,
Crawford having 8,899 ^"^ Wyandot 4,268.
The Richland and Marion county figures at
the bottom give the population of those sec-
tions that are now a part of the present county,
so the long columns are the population of the
present Crawford county at the three dates
given.
Since the present county was formed in
1845, and as constituted, the population at
each succeeding census has been as follows :
1850 i860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910
Auburn 951 1072 910 117& 1244 1174 1161
Bucyrus 2315 3543 4184 5073 6988 7587 9032
Chatfield ....1351 1430 1247 1266 1201 1304 1129
Cranberry . . . 1042 1339 1281 1824 1662 1819 1819
Dallas 406 406 370 500 430 465 469
Holmes 1238 1639 157° 1660 1423 1500 1233
Jackson 171 1 3290 4021 3216 3248 3670 4236
Jefferson* 1224 1009 913 802
Liberty 1782 1788 1597 1679 1591 1566 1342
Lykins 1185 1265 1140 1225 1058 930 883
Polk 1318 2910 4369 6518 7200 8433 8019
Sandusky 822 792 665 658 615 569 51°
Texas S45 S66 566 587 539 5i6 476
Tod 578 1093 1156 1099 974 882 774
Vernon 1276 1224 980 1038 952 926 722
Whetstone ..1657 1524 1490 1840 1793 1661 1429
Total 18177 23881 25556 30583 31927 33915 34036
Cities and villages :
Bucyrus, i822t 1365 2180 3066 3835 5974 6560 8122
Galion.t 1831 589 1966 3523 5635 6326 7282 7214
Crestline, 1852 1487 2279 2848 291 1 3282 3807
New WashVn, 1833. 76 221 273 675 704 824 889
Tiro, 1874 65 177 293 321
Chatfield, 1840 52 106 ig8 216 326 298 270
N. Robinson, 1861 157 182 257 200 155
Leesville, 1829 197 235 320 213 203 178 115
As nearly as can be gathered from pioneer
statements and records, the following is a list
of those in Crawford county in 1826, with the
dates of their first arrival. Those marked
with a ( § ) had been residents and moved away
prior to 1826; those marked with a double
*Jackson township was divided in 1873, the township
of Jefferson being created.
tDates are the year town was started.
tin the census of 1910, many names were omitted,
notably in the first ward. The population in 1910, was
several hundred above the United States census figures
given in this table.
star (**) had died prior to 1826. Where sev^
eral names are given of the same family, they
are generally sons who are young men.
AUBURN TOWNSHIP — RICHLAND COUNTY UNTIL 184S.
819 — Adam Aumend
819— Adam Aumend, Jr.
826 — Enoch Baker
826 — Joseph Baker
822— David Bender
821 — Jacob Bevard
821— Ira W. Blair
821— John Blair
821— Selden Blair
818— Jesse Bodley
818— John Bodley
818— Lester Bodley
818— Levi Bodley
821— Daniel Bunker
817— Martin Clark
82S— William Cleland
817— Barnet Cole
817— William Cole
816 — Jacob Coykendall
816 — David Cummins
816— John Deardorff
818— Charles Dewitt
82S — Jonathan Dixon
820 — James Gardner
820 — William Garrison
820— Michael Gisson
815— William Green
815 — Samuel S. Green
815— Walter Green
820 — Benjamin Griffith
822 — George Hammond
819 — Samuel Hanna
821— Seth Hawks
820 — Harvey Hoadley
822 — Aaron B. Howe
822— Nelson S. Howe
818— Daniel Hulse
818— Palmer Hulse
826— William Johns
820— Erastus Kellogg
822 — Jesse Ladow
818 — William Laugherty
822— Richard Millar
814 — Jedediah Morehead
818— David C. Morris
817 — David Morrow
817 — Charles Morrow
817 — James Morrow
820— Rodolphus Morse
819 — Frederick Myers
814 — John Pettigon
817— Henry Reif
821 — Robert Robinson
825— Abel C. Ross
825- Daniel W. Ross
820 — Erastus Sawyer
820 — Jacob .Snyder
820— William Snyder
821— John Sheckler
820— John Talford
822— Richard Tucker
818 — Andrew Varnica
817 — John Wadsworth
822— John Webber
819— Resolved White
114
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
BUCYRUS TOWNSHIP.
Those marked (§) lived outside the village.
1822 — Thomas Adams §
1826— Isaac H. Allen
182S— Moses Arden
1826 — George Aumiller §
1826— Henry Babcock
1824— Samuel Bailey
1823— Adam Bair
1825— Adam Bair
1826— Martin Barr
1820— David Beadle §
1820— David Beadle, Jr. §
1820— Michel Beadle §
1826 — Edward Billups
1823— John Billups
1824— George Black §
1824— John Black §
1826 — Jacob Bowers
1825 — John Bowman
1826— William Bratton
1823 — ^John Brown
1823— David Bryant §
1819— Albigence Bucklin §
1822— Elizabeth Bucklin **
1822 — Harry Burns
1822 — Aaron Gary
1822 — Aaron Gary, Jr.
1821— Abel Gary
1822 — ^Lewis Gary
1822— "Old Peter" Gary **
1826— John Galdwell,
1825 — Samuel Garl
1821— Amos Glark§
1825- Elihu Dowd
1825 — Ebenezer Dowd
1822— John Deardorff **
1826 — David Dinwiddle §
1826— Jacob Drake
1823— William Early
1820 — ^Joseph Ensley §
1825— Andrew Failor
1825- Nicholas Failor
1823 — Benjamin Fickle §
1823— Jacob Fickle §
1823— Daniel Fickle §
1823— Isaac H. Fickle §
1826— Michael Flick
1824— John Funk
1822 — Harris Garton
1821 — John S. George §
1825— George Hawk
1826 — George Hesser §
1826— Peter Hesser §
1824— Dr. John T. Hobbs
1821— Henry Holmes
1819— Seth Holmes **
1825 — James Houston
1825— Thomas Howey §
1825- John H. Morrison
1823— A. L. Shover
1823— Patrick Height
1826— William Hughey
1826— William Hughey, Jr.
1824— John Huhr
1825- Mary Inman
1826 — -Thomas Johnson
1825 — John Kanzleiter
1822— John Kellogg**
1822— David Kent §
1821— Elisha Kent §
1822— John Kent §
1822— Thaddeus Kent §
1825— Joseph Knott §
1822 — Darius Landon §
1822 — William Langdon §
1826 — George Lauck
1825 — Joshua Lewis §
1826— Hugh Long
1823— John Magers §
1826— William V. Marquis §
1826— William Marsh
1826 — ^Jairies Marshall
1822— John Marshall
1822— Dr. Joseph McGomb
1825— Bailey McGracken
182S^Hugh McGracken
1826— James McGlure
1826 — ^James McLain
1819— Matthew McMichael §
1823— James Martin
1822 — Charles Merriman
1822— E. B, Merriman
1825— Daniel Miller §
1823— Harry Miller
1824— Henry Miller §
1825— John Miller
1826— Henry Minich
1822— Robert Moore
1823— Joseph S. Morris §
1826 — Abraham Myers
1826— Samuel Myers §
1826 — John Nimmon
1819— Samuel Norton
1819 — Rensselaer Norton
1821— David Palmer §
1824 — Dr. Joseph Pearce
1822— Russell Peck
1825— Horace Pratt
1823— William Reeves
1822 — Gonrad Rhodes
1822 — Ichabod Rogers
1824— John Rogers**
1821— Gonrad Roth
1821— Samuel Roth
1823 — Heman Rowse § **
1821 — -Zalmon Rowse §
1825 — Jonas Scott
1825 — Thomas Scott §
1825— Daniel Seal
1826 — ^Jacob Seigler
1825— Daniel Shroll §
1825— George Shroll §
1825— John Shroll §
1825— William Shroll §
1821— George P. Shultz
1821— Gottleib John Shultz §
1820 Sears*
1826 — George Sinn §
1826— EH Slagle
1823— Harry Smith
1826 — Joy Sperry
1826— Henry St. John
1826— Gha^les Stanberg
1826 — James G. Steen
1826— David Stein §
1821— William M. Stephenson i
1821 — Lewis Stephenson
1822 — Joseph Umpstead
1825 — Benjamin Warner §
1824— Joseph Whitherd
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
115
1825— George Welsh §
1820— Jacob Young §
1820— John Young §
1820— Joseph Young §
1820— William Young §
1820 — George Young §
1821— Zachariah Welsh
1823— Benjamin S. Welsh
1820— Charles White
CHATFIELD TOWNSHIP.
1826 — William Champion
1824— Oliver Chatfield
1824— Silas Chatfield
1826— David Clute
1824— John Henry
1825 — John Robinson
1825 — James M. Robinson
1825— William Spanable
1824 — George Stuckman
1820— Jacob Whetstone *
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP.
1823-
Bergin
1824 — Joshua Chilcote
1824 — Joshua Chilcote, Jr.
1824 — Heathcote Chilcote
1824 — James Chilcote
1824— John Chilcote
1824 — Nicodemas Chilcote
1826 — Aaron Cory
1826 — Thomas Cory
1823 — Charles Doney
1826— Robert Hilborn
1826 — Jacob Lederer
1826 — Jacob Lederer, Jr.
1826— Adam G. Lederer
1826 — John Lederer
1826 — George Myers
1826— Oak Tyndale
DALLAS TOWNSHIP.
(Marion County until 1845.)
1820— George H. Busby
1825— David Bibler
1825— James Bibler
1825- George Clark
182S— Andrew Clark
1822 — Christian Hoover
1822— William Hoover
1825— William Howe
1823— Jacob King
1820 — ^Isaac Longwell
1820— Peter Longwell
1820 — Samuel Line
1825 — John Mason
1825 — John Mason, Jr.
1825 — Joseph Mason
1820— Matthew Mitchell
1824— John McClary
1824 — Thomas McClary
1825 — Thomas Mason
1822— John Page
1821— Charles iParrish
1821— William Parrish
1824 — William Ramey
1824— Jacob Shaffer
1826 — Jacob Snyder
1826— John Snyder
1823— Christian Stahley
1822— Daniel Swigart
1820— George Walton
1821— Benjamin Welsh
1821— Madison Welsh
HOLMES TOWNSHIP.
1824— Thomas Alsoph
1821— William Flake
1826— Joel Glover
1821 Heaman*
1821— Elisha Holmes
1821 — Lyman Holmes
1821— Samuel Holmes
1821— Truman Holmes
1821 — Zalmon Holmes
1826 — Christian Haish
1826 — John Hussey
1824 — Samuel Hemminger
1826— Martin Holman
1825— Timothy Kirk**
1823 — James Martin
1823 — Jonas Martin
1825— Joseph Newell
1825- Daniel Snyder
1826— William Spitzer
JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
(Richland County until 1845.)
1824— Elisha Allen
1818 — John Benjamin
1823— David Bryant
1820— John Doyle
1824— John Fate
1818 — Benjamin Rush
1820— Joseph Russell
1821— Samuel Rutan
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP.
(Part of Richland County until 1845.)
1818— John Adrian
1817— Peter Beebout
1816— Jacob Fisher
1817— John S. Griswell
1817 — Thomas Ferguson
1825— Samuel Freese
1820— Eli Foglesong
1824— David Dorn
1824 — John Hise
1819— Henry Hershner
1819— Jacob Hershner
1819— Michael Hershner
1825— John Hershner
1819 — Lewis Leiberger
1818— Daniel Miller
1819— James Nail
1817— Westell Ridgely
1817— Andrew Ridgely
1817— Daniel Ridgely
1817— John Ridg-ely
1817— William Ridgely
1817 — Christian Snyder
1817— Jacob Snyder
1817— Peter Snyder
1824 — Jacob Weaver
1826— Daniel Wert
1826— Joseph Wert
1826— Peter Wert
1821 — Benjamin Worden
1821— Benjamin F. Worden
1821— Nathan Worden
116
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP.
1823 — John Anderson
1820— Ralph Bacon
182S— John Bair
1821— John O. Blowers
1822— William Blowers
1823— John Chandler
1823 — Joseph Chandler
182S — ^James Clingan
1825 — John Clingan
1823— Asa Cobb
1823— Dudley Cobb
1821 — Christian Couts
1823— Israel Borland
1823— Garrett Borland
1823 — James Borland
1823— Luke Borland
1822— Robert Foster
1824— John H. Fry
1823 — ^Jacob Gurwell
1825 — ^James S. Gurwell
1825- Edward Hartford
1826— Bavid Hawk
1825— John Helm
1825— Pres Hilliard
1821— William Huff
1824— William Huff
1825— Baniel Ketchum
1825— Baniel Kimble
1824 — Richard King
1824— John Kroft
1824— William Little
1823 — Benjamin Manwell
1823— Horatio Markley
1823 — Matthias Markley
1821— Thomas McClure
1823 — ^James McCurdy
1819— Daniel McMichael **
1821— John Maxfield
1823— William Moderwell
1825— Alex A. McCullough
1826 — ^James McMannes
1822— Simeon Parcher
1826 — Samuel Peterman
1826 — John Peterman
1826— Isaac Rice
1823— Thomas Scott
1825- Baniel Shellhammer
1826 — Abraham L. Shivers
1825- Andrew Shreck
1825— John Slifer
1826— Isaac Slater
1823 — Samuel Smalley
1824 — Richard Spicer
1823— Ichabod Smith
1823— Thomas Smith
1822— Calvin Squires
1822 — Nehemiah Squires
1823 — Calvin Stone
1824— John G. Stough
1826 — Peter Stockman
1820— Auer Umberfield
1825— Anthony Walker
1825— John Walters
1825- Asa Wetherby
1826 — Thomas Williamson
1825— Mary Wood
LYKENS TOWNSHIP.
1825 — Christopher Keggy
1826— Jacob Miller
1826 — George Rhoad
POLK TOWNSHIP.
(Part of Richland County until 1845.)
1826— John Ashcroft
1820 — Alpheus Atwood
1820— John Atwood
1824 — James Auten
1826 — Jonathan Ayres
1819- — Samuel Brown
1819— John Brown
1819— Michael Brown
1820— John Bashford
1817 — Edward Cooper
1821— John Cracraft
1820 — Samuel Dany
1820— ^John Bickerson
1822 — Rev. James Bunlap
1822 — John Bunraeier
1822 — ^John Eysman
1820 Fletcher
1820 Fletcher
1818— Bavid Gill
1826 — Thomas Harding
1822— John Hauck
1820— John Hibner
1819— Asa Hosford
1819— Horace Hosford
1820— William Hosford
1817 — Bisberry Johnson
1817^ — Samuel Johnson
1823 — Phares Jackson
1821— John Jeffrey
1818 — ^John Kitteridge
1817 — ^James Leveridge
1817 — James Leveridge, Jr.
1817 — Nathaniel Leveridge
1823 — Nathan Merriman
1822— Alexander McGrew
1820— Daniel Miller
1821— Jacob Miller
1822— William Murray
1825— William Neal
1826— Andrew Poe
1825 — ^James Reeves
1822— Rev. John Reinhart
1820— David Reid
1825 — George Row
1825 — John Schawber
1826 — ^John Sedous
1818 — Benjamin Sharrock
1818— Nehemiah Story
1818— Nathaniel Story
1817— John Sturges
1823— Owen Tuttle
1818— George Wood
1818— George Wood, Jr.
1818— John Williamson
SANDUSKY TOWNSHIP.
1823 — Jacob Ambrose
1820— William Beatty
1820— Philip Beatty
1823 — Benjamin Bowers
1823 — Jacob Bowers
1823— William Bowers
1825 — ^John Cove
1826 — Isaac Barling
1826 — ^John Bewey
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
117
1823— Jacob Dull
1820— Matthew Elder
1823 — John Clemens
1823 — Adam Clemens
1823 — Thomas Clemens
1821— John B. French
1819— James Gwell
1819— William Gwell
1822— William Handley
1822 — Jesse Handley
1826 — Isaac Henry
1823— Isaac Hilborn
1826— George M. Kitch
1819 — Samuel Knisely
1820— Joseph Knisely
1823— James Magee
1826 — John Magner
1826— Henry Magner
182S— William Matthews
182S^-Isaac Matthews
1824— John Mayer
1826 — John Ramsey
1826 — Joseph Smith
1825— Alex Smith
1820— Samuel Shull
1825 — James Tarns
1825— Nelson Tustison
1826— Joseph Wert
1826— John Wert
1826— Adam Wert
TEXAS TOWNSHIP.
1824 — Eli Adams
1824— Paul Adams
1824 — George Bender
1822 — John Henry Coon
1826 — Ebenezer Culver
1825 — Anthony Detray
1826— Jacob Foy
1826 — Samuel Gregg
1826— William Griffiths
1826 — Lewis Lemert
1825— Robert Mayes
1825— Adam Miller
1825— Isaac Miller
1825— Charles Morrow
1825— John Nedray
1825— David Palmer
1825— Doddridge Paul
1825— Elting Paul
1825 — Laban Perdew
1826 — William Pennington
1825— Robert Roberts
1825— Alva Tash
TOD TOWNSHIP.
All Indian Reservation until opened for settle-
ment in 1837.
VERNON TOWNSHIP.
(Richland County until 1845.)
1818 — George Byers
1823— John Cleland
1823— William Cleland
1816 — Andrew Dickson
1823 — George Dickson
1825 — ^Jonathan Dickson
1825— James Dickson
1821 — James Richards
1824— Conrad Walters
1824 — Anthony Walters
WHETSTONE TOWNSHIP.
1823 — James Armstrong
1822 — Peter Anderson
1822 — Christian Bair
1822— John Beckwith
1826— John Boyer
1822— Philip Clinger
1822 — Adam Clinger
1822— Archibald Clark
1822 — George Clark
1822 — Benjamin Camp
1823 — John Campbell
1817— William Cooper
1824 — Charles Chambers
1824 — Isaac Eichelberger
1824 — Casper Eichelberger
1823 — James Falloon
1821 — Frederick Garver
1822 — Benjamin George
1822— William Hamilton
1821 — George Hancock
1822 — -Henry Harriger
1823 — James Henderson
1821— Asa Howard
1821 — Daniel Jones
1823— Adam Jacob Kieffer
1819— John Kent
1826— Andrew Kerr
1821— John King
1825 — John Lininger
1820— Noble McKinstry
1824— J. W. Moderwell
1822— Esi Norton
1821— Philander Odell
1821— Eli Odell
1821— Jacob Odell
1823 — 'George Poe
1821 — Samuel Parcher
1822 — Lyman Parcher
1822 — George Parcher
1822— John Parcher
1822 — Benjamin Parcher
1822 — George Parcher, Jr.
1821— Nathaniel Plummer
1821— Abner Rowse
1823 — Cornwallis Reese
1824— Robert Reid
1824— George Reid
1826 — Henry Remson
1822— Daniel Palmer
1820— Martin Shaffner
1826— Henry S. Sheldon
1826— Valentine Shook
1826 — Samuel Shook
1826— John Staley
1823— John Stein
1823 — Abraham Steen
1822— Hugh Stewart
1822— William Stewart
1822 — James Stewart
1822 — John Stewart
1822 — ^Joseph Stewart
1822— Hugh Stewart, Jr.
1826— William Stuck
1823— Hugh Trimble
1823— John Trimble
1821 — Samuel VanVoorhis
1826— Robert Walker
1820— John Willowby
1826— Samuel Winters
CHAPTER VI
POLITICAL
Early Politics — The Campaign of 1840 — Harrison at Bucyrus — First Campaign Song — The
Exciting Campaign of 186^ — Various Minor Parties — Constitutional Conventions — Vote of
the County Since Its Organisation — The County in State Politics — Incidents of Early Cam-
paigns— Crawford During the War — Complete Li^t of Officials Since the Organization of
the County.
Some are born great, some achieve greatness,
And some have greatness thrust upon them.
— S H A KESPEAEE.
Here and there some stern, high patriot stood.
Who could not get the place for which he sued.
— Byron.
When Crawford county was first estab-
lished by the legislature in 1820, there was
considerable unanimity in politics not only in
Ohio at that time, but in the nation. James
Monroe had been elected president without
opposition. Crawford county did not vote as
a county until 1824, and even at that election
its vote was cast with Marion, and the first
separate vote of the county was in 1826, and
at that time a harmonious spirit existed in the
county. Prior to 1820 there had been two
parties, the Federalists and the followers of
Jefferson, the latter using the names of Re-
publican and Democrat indiscriminately. The
Jeffersonian theory of government had pre-
vailed to such an extent that in Ohio there was
practically no opposition. When the election
took place in 1824 there were four candidates
John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, who
represented what was left of the old Federal
party, and was supported by the more con-
servative voters; William A. Crawford of
Georgia, a democrat of the Federal school,
who favored the leaders of the party at Wash-
ington controlling the nominations. The
other two were Andrew Jackson and Henry
Clay. The bulk of the Jackson and Clay fol-
lowers were of the Jefferson-Madison-Monroe
school, Jackson being for a strict construction
of the constitution, against a national bank
which then existed, and against any centraliz-
ing of power. Clay was more liberal, and
favored the government looking after inter-
nal improvements, and in connection with that
a protective tariff. Not one of them was a
Federalist, although Adams was so classed,
while the Jackson men took the name of
Democratic Republican; the Clay men Na-
tional Republican. The election in Ohio re-
sulted Clay 19,255, Jackson 18,489, Adams
12,280, while Crawford had no electoral ticket
in the field. It will be observed that his vote
was 50,024. A month previous at the October
election for governor the vote was Jeremiah
Morrow, democrat, 39,526; Allen Trimble, na-
tional republican, 37,108. Trimble's vote com-
ing from the Clay and Adams men, and
Morrow's vote from the Jackson men, and
many democrats who were dissatisfied with all
the presidential candidates. So mixed up, or
so united, were political affairs that two years
later Trimble, national republican, had prac-
tically no opposition for governor, receiving
71,475 votes, the scattering vote being about
13,000. By 1828 the two parties took definite
forms, both either republican or democratic,
whichever one might choose to call them, and
the only difference being in matters of govern-
mental policy. In 1828 Jackson carried the
State for president, although the national re-
publicans elected their governor that year and
in 1830, and after Jackson again carried the
State in 1832, the democrats of the Jackson
school were left in undisputed possession of
the name of democrat, and the national repub-
licans united all opposition to the democratic
party under the name of Whigs. The latter
118
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
119
party carried the state for Harrison in 1836
and 1840. Under President Jackson, from
1829 to 1837 party lines began to be closely
drawn, but prior to that time there had been
no special difference between the two parties.
The first mention of Crawford county in
regard to political matters was in the Colum-
bus Gazette of July, 1824, when a meeting
was held at Columbus in the interest of Henry
Clay. At that meeting Henry Brown of
Franklin county was appointed the Clay elec-
tor for this district, and Joseph Chaffee of
Crawford county was present and was placed
in charge of the Clay interests in this county.
Chaffee lived in Tymochtee township. That
year practically all were Clay or Adams men
in this county, as at the election in 1824, Ma-
rion county, of which Crawford was a part,
gave the following vote : Adams 87 ; Clay
54; Jackson 13. The formation of parties
can be seen by the presidential vote of 1832,
when it resulted in this county : Andrew Jack-
son, dem., 557; Henry Clay, whig, 259.
The exciting campaign in Ohio and in this
county was the presidential election in 1840,
when William Henry Harrison ran against
Martin Van Buren, the latter being the demo-
cratic candidate for re-election. Pages of
history have been written about the campaign
of 1840. It was the first political "tidal wave"
that ever swept the country. From 1829 to
1840 Andrew Jackson had been president, fol-
lowed by Martin Van Buren, and the demo-
cratic party was strongly intrenched in power ;
the whigs were demoralized, their principal
issue being anti-Jackson. On December 4,
1839, they met at Harrisburg, Pa., and nomi-
nated Gen. Harrison for the presidency, with
John Tyler of Virginia for vice president.
Van Buren's colleague was Richard M. John-
son, of Kentucky, who in the war of 1812, had
won the final battle of the Thames in Canada,
when the British were defeated and Tecumseh
was killed. Harrison, as the hero of the war
of 1812, was the idol of the then great rising
northwestern territory, but in the east the
business interests and the newspapers made
light of his candidacy; soon after the Harri-
son nomination, the editor of a Van Buren
paper at Baltimore, Md., visited General Har-
rison at his country home at South Bend, Ind.,
and was cordially received and hospitably en-
tertained by him. He published an account of
his trip, spoke slightingly of Harrison's abil-
ities, and stated that he lived in a log cabin and
drank hard cider, and had no desire to be
president, and neither had he the ability to
fill the position, and concluded by stating that
if the people of the country would only fur-
nish him with a liberal supply of crackers and
sufficient hard cider he would be contented to
live in his little log cabin for the remainder
of his days. Every Van Buren paper in the
east published the story with great relish, and
it was copied in the western organs. Then the
storm broke. In all of the great northwest
that Harrison had rescued from the Indians
the people remembered the log cabins that had
been their first homes ; they still kept the hard
cider for the hospitable entertainment of their
guests, and many still lived in the little log
cabins. The northwest rallied to their idol,
the log cabin and the buckeye became their
rallying cry, and the hard cider was free
everywhere. A meeting was called at Colum-
bus for February 22, 1840, and although it
was the dead of winter, when the day arrived
over 15,000 people assembled in that city of
6,000 population, and every house was thrown
open to entertain free every guest. Every
county within a radius of a hundred miles
sent monster delegations, some hauling log
cabins for fifty miles over the miserable roads.
Nearly a hundred went down from Crawford
county. Heavy rains had swollen the streams,
and the roads were almost impassable, but
there were miles of paraders, with their in-
numerable log cabins, and heading the pro-
cession was a reproduction of Fort Meigs
erected by Harrison, and defended by him in
1813, and on the front flag staff Harrison's
reply to General Proctor's demand for its sur-
render: "Tell General Proctor when he gets
possession of the Fort, he will gain more
honor, in the estimation of his King and coun-
try, than he would acquire by a thousand
capitulations." There were speeches ; and the
hard cider distributed free at every house, with
barrels of it at every street corner, kept up the
enthusiasm, and also prevented any ill effect
from the intemperate weather.
Of course they passed resolutions, a column
of them, glorifying themselves and their can-
didate, and denouncing, and criticizing the
120
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
opposition, and one resolution, not political,
but future events demonstrated it was the
shrewdest of politics. It was a resolution
recommending that "the young men of Ohio,
Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, West-
ern New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia
celebrate the next anniversary of the raising
of the siege of Fort Meigs, in June, 1813, on
the ground occupied by that fort."
As early as May they started for the rendez-
vous; men left their farms and their factories,
their stores and their shops, and through the
forests and across the swamps they journeyed
hundreds of miles on foot and on horseback
in wagons and in log cabins, these latter being
hung with coon-skins and covered with strings
of buckeyes, and used as sleeping places dur-
ing the night. And -when the day arrived
fully fifty thousand people were there from
every state in the union, and the wagons were
camped for miles around. Harrison spent the
night at Toledo, a little town of 1,300 people,
and on the morning of the day went on a little
steamer to the fort he had so bravely defended
a generation previous. People were weeks
getting back to their homes, but from the west
the excitement spread to the east, and the chief
export of Ohio that year were the buckeyes,
and the national drink was hard cider. It
was, too, a cure for all ills ; with a pepper-pod
sliced into it it was a sure cure for rheuma-
tism; mixed with willow-bark and iron-wood
it cured fever and ague; with wild cherry
added it became a tonic. It was the juice of
the apple, and many a temperate man in his
enthusiasm for the cause partook so liberally
that when night came there was little differ-
ence between a moderate and a heavy drinker.
It was at Columbus that Otway Curry, of
Union county, who represented this district
in the legislature in 1837 and 1838, wrote the
first campaign song that was used in a cam-
paign. It was to the tune of "Highland Lad-
die," and commenced :
"Oh where, tell me where, was your Buckeye
Cabin made?
Oh where, tell me where was your Buckeye
Cabin made?
'Twas built among the merry boys who
wield the plow and spade
Where the Log Cabin stands in the bonnie
Buckeye shade."
Another of the songs was to the tune of
"Rosin the Bow."
Come ye who, whatever betide her.
To freedom have sworn to be true ;
Prime up in a mug of hard cider,
And drink to old Tippecanoe.* '
On tap, I've a pipe of as good, sir.
As man from the faucet e'er drew;
No poison to thicken your blood, sir.
But liquor as pure as the dew.
No foreign potation I puff, sir,
In freedom the apple-tree grew,
And its juice is exactly the stuff, sir,
To quaff to old Tippecanoe.
Let Van* sport his coach and outriders.
In liveries flaunting and gay.
And sneer at log cabins and cider;
But woe for the re'ckoning day!
From east to west and from north to south
the wave spread, and long before November
came the one side felt defeat and the other
scented victory. A tidal wave swept the land
"For Tippecanoe and Tyler, too." The mag-
nificent democratic organization which six
months previous had deemed defeat impos-
sible was swept away by an uprising of the
people, and even the democratic organ in Bal-
timore that first started the sarcasm on the
candidate and his log cabin and hard cider,
was caught by the wave, and closed the cam-
paign as a Harrison supporter. During the
campaign many passed through Bucyrus on
their way to the great demonstration at Fort
Meigs, and among them none other than Har-
rison himself, accompanied by Robert C.
Schenck, a rising young lawyer from Dayton
and an orator. He came over the Pike from
Columbus speaking in Delaware and Marion,
and stopped at the Union Hotel, then kept by
Samuel Norton on the lot now occupied by
Zeigler's mill. He spent the night here.
Bucyrus had a Tippecanoe club and John
Moderwell was the president and James Mar-
shall the vice president. The club escorted
him to the court house. The little building
*Tippecanoe was the popular name in the west for
Harrison.
*Van Buren.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
121
was crowded. The meeting was presided ovef
by Josiah Scott, then a rising young lawyer
of Bucyrus. Robert C. Schenck addressed the
meeting, and made a brilliant speech. Gen-
eral Harrison was then introduced, but the
crowd was a trifle unfriendly and frequently
interrupted the speaker, but he bore the an-
noyance with dignity and calmness, until a
better feeling prevailed and he was allowed to
continue.
The next morning he left for Sandusky
where he took the little lake steamer for To-
ledo. This was the first president ever in
Bucyrus. Later in the campaign, in Septem-
ber, Richard M. Johnson, the candidate for
vice president was in Bucyrus, and addressed
a large crowd. He was the guest of Congress-
man George Sweney and was accompanied by
Senator Allen and John Brough, and when he
left for his next date at Mansfield, Mr.
Sweney and a large number of Bucyrus poli-
ticians accompanied him.
The wave that swept the country and
landed Gen. Harrison in the presidential chair
was of little avail to the whigs. Whether he
could have built up a party is problematical,
but he died shortly after his election, and Ty-
ler became president, and in 1844 the demo-
crats again returned to power. In 1848 the
whigs were again successful with a war can-
didate. They had opposed the Mexican war,
but after the United States were victorious
stole the democratic thunder by nominating
the hero of that war. General Zachariah Tay-
lor, and obtaining a presidential victory. Old
"Rough and Ready" as he was called was just
as his nickname indicated. One of his first
messages congratulated congress with the ex-
pression : "We are now at peace with all the
world and the rest of mankind." Taylor also
died and Fillmore succeeded him. For years
the whigs had been little more than an opposi-
tion. But in their later years they had driven
the democratic party to a defense of slavery.
The democratic party had never recognized
slavery as one of their party principles, but
they were finally forced to its defense, a de-
fense that almost killed them, and did kill the
party that forced them into that position. For
several years prior to 1854, a new party had
sprung up of "Free Soilers," who were op-
posed to any further extension of slavery; an
American party, who held that Americans
must rule America; and the abolitionists.
The Free Soilers at the start drew largely
from the democrats and later from the whigs ;
the Americans and abolitionists from the
whigs, and in some cases the whigs became
the third party. In 1854 the many discordant
elements that opposed the democratic party
got together with a firm and pronounced
declaration to stop the inroads of slavery.
The free soil democrats and the abolitionists
practically all united with the ne\v party, and
about two-thirds of the whigs. At least one-
third of the whigs went bodily over to the
democratic party declining to follow such ad-
vanced ground on the slavery c]uestion. in
1853, the democratic vote in Crawford tor
governor was 1778, the whig vote 525, and
the free soil vote 306. The whigs had gone
to pieces. In 1855 under the new alignment
the democratic vote was 1710, the republican
vote 1,449 and the American vote 24. Many
well known democrats in Crawford county,
who had held office and been leaders, joined
the new party, and democracy in turn re-
cruited its ranks from life-long whigs. Since
then it has been a straight fight between the
two great parties, with an occasional new
party springing into existence to cast a few-
votes, and then drift back to one or two other
of the two great parties. At one time the
populists rose to several hundred votes in the
county, but they finally found a home in one
of the two leading parties. The prohibition-
ists have been faithful for years, but their
vote has- been^drawn from both parties and has
been recently light, many years ago their
highest figure being about three hundred. In
the past few years the socialists under various
names have had tickets in the field, taking
their following from both parties but mostly
from the dominant one. In a few local elec-
tions their vote has been such as to indicate
that if the increase continues they are a power
to be counted on.
When the war started in 1861, it was heart-
ily supported by both parties, but as time
passed the republicans being in power in the
national government were receiving accessions
of strength, which bid fair, when the war
reached a successful conclusion, to wipe out
the democratic party. And the democratic
122
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
party soon changed to a severe criticism of
the conduct of the war, and later came out in
bitter opposition to it. The RepubHcans, to
make the hne more marked, headed their ticket
in this state with the word Union and the
party was known as the Union Republican
party. In the winter of 1882 one of democ-
racy's brilliant orators, Clement L. Vallandig-
ham, was so severe in his strictures on the
government that he was arrested for treason,
and banished from the country, first trans-
ported across the line as a present to his
friends in the south. From there he went to
Canada. The democratic party in this state
were up in arms against the administration for
the arrest and banishment of their leader and
insisted the rights of "freedom of speech"
as guaranteed by the constitution were being
suppressed. They called their next convention
at Columbus to select a candidate for gover-
nor, and there was an outpouring of the
people; over two hundred went down from
this county ; other counties turned out in force ;
there were delegations from everywhere, and
in the neighborhood of fifty thousand indig-
nant and protesting democrats assembled at
the capital. It was a great outpouring of the
people, and there was no building large enough
to hold the crowd, but the problem was solved
by having the convention outdoors in the
state house yard. With the greatest enthusi-
asm Vallandigham was nominated by acclama-
tion for governor. Crawford was conspicuous
at this convention. The headquarters were at
the American house, and the evening of the
nominations a ratification meeting was held,
and ex-Senator George E. Pugh, the candidate
for Lieutenant Governor, and many others
made speeches, most of them too mild for the
anti-war faction of the party and the excited
crowd, besides which the speeches were temp-
erate from the fact that dozens of United
States marshals were present with instructions
to arrest any one guilty of treasonable utter-
ances. The speeches were therefore tamer
than the Crawford county men had been ac-
customed to, and they set up a call for "Jack-
son." Abner M. Jackson was a natural born
orator, pleasant, affable, the friend of every-
body, and the idol of the democracy of this
county. The crowd caught the name and
Jackson came forward to speak. He ex-
pressed his opinion on the generals, the war,
the government, and the president, with the
same freedom and force he had been accus-
tomed to do in Crawford county. He was a
brilliant orator and set the crowd on fire, and
the cheers and applause he received showed
he was the orator of the evening, and if his
speech had been made the evening before there
is no question he would have received the
nomination for lieutenant governor. At the
conclusion of his speech, policy called for an
adjournment of the meeting.
A severe campaign followed, processions
miles long attending every meeting. Pugh
took up the fight for his party, his leader being
absent in Canada; party bitterness ran high;
nearly every meeting created trouble owing to
the intense earnestness of both sides, and in
the end Brough was elected by 60,000 exclu-
sive of the soldier vote which was 41,000
more. A law had been passed which allowed
the soldiers in the field to vote. The Craw-
ford soldier vote was Brough, union, 268;
Vallandigham, democrat, 24. On the county
ticket the Union vote was some forty less.
In the vote as reported from the field 57
votes were thrown out for informality, of
these 49 were for Brough and 8 for Vallandig-
ham. In 1865 the soldier vote was not counted
in this county.
The next important contest was in 1867,
when the state was called upon to vote on an
amendment to the constitution giving to col-
ored people the right to vote, the republicans
favoring the proposition the democrats oppos-
ing. The amendment was beaten in Ohio by
fqrty thousand, but the republicans carried the
state by a small majority.
In 1872, the democrats made no nomina-
tion for the presidency, meeting at Baltimore
and indorsing Horace Greeley, who had been
nominated by the Liberal republicans at Cin-
cinnati. This took over to the democratic
ranks less than a hundred in this county, ow-
ing to their intense bitterness against the
administration of President Grant, but event-
ually most of them returned to the republican
party.
Party lines remained the same in this
county until 1887 to 1891, when the Peoples
Party sprang into existence, an organization
principally of farmers comprising men of
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
123
both parties, but later coming largely from the
democrats. It ran for a few years, and its
members later drifted back to the old parties,
the democrats getting the better of the drift.
So strong had the populistic tendency be-
come, that that party dictated the democratic
presidential nomination and platform in 1896,
which caused the nomination of a gold demo-
cratic ticket made up of those who still be-
lieved with Andrew Jackson on the money
question. Many joined this party, but when
it came to vote, they mostly voted for McKin-
ley. In the last few years the Socialists under
various names have had an increasing vote,
especially in the cities, and both the great
parties have been drifting toward the adop-
tion of many of the milder views of the
Socialists.
The first constitution was adopted when
Ohio was admitted as a state in 1803, with a
proviso that a constitutional convention could
be held every twenty years to submit a new
constitution to the people. In 1830 there was
no desire for any change in the constitution,
so no constitutional convention was held.
In 1850 a constitutional convention was
held, the delegate from this county being Rich-
ard W. Cahill of Vernon township. The ne^\
constitution was submitted to the people in
June, 1851, and was adopted, the vote in
Crawford county being 1,441 for and 399
against, a majority for of 1,042. It carried
every township except Auburn and Dallas, los-
ing in Auburn by 22 and in Dallas by 8.
When this constitution was submitted a sep-
arate proposition was submitted to the people
as to whether the sale of liquor should be
licensed in the state. License was defeated.
On this question Crawford's vote was, for
license 1,121, against 592; majority for 529.
License carried every township excepting four,
Bucyrus giving 17 majority against, Jackson
57, Texas 4, and Tod 5. The next constitu-
tional convention was in 1870, when Thomas
Beer was elected the delegate from this county
without opposition. The constitution was
submitted to the voters on August 18, 1874,
and defeated by 147,284. Three other propo-
sitions were submitted separately but all were
defeated overwhelmingly, excepting the
licensing of the liquor traffic, and this was
defeated by only 7,286 majority in the state.
In 1851 the majority against license was 8,982.
In Crawford county in 1874, the vote was
1,107 for the new constitution, 2,283 against.
On the propositions submitted separately the
vote was: For minority representation 945,
against 2,241 ; for railroad aid 225, against
3,043; for licensing liquor traffic 2,212,
against 1,187.
In 1812 the third constitutional convention
was held, and at the election in October 181 1,
George W. Miller was selected as the delegate.
The following is the vote of Crawford
county for governor, the years 1828 and 1832
being the presidential vote: *Indicates the
candidates who carried the state:
1824 — Allen Trimble, nat rep. .
*Jeremiah Morrow, dem
Trimble plurality. . .
1826 — * Allen Trimble, nat rep
John Bigger, dem
Trimble plurality. . .
1828 — * Allen Trimble, nat rep
John W. Campbell, dem
Trimble plurality . . .
1830 — -*Robert Lucas, dem. . .
Duncan McArthur, nat rep
Lucas plurality
1832 — * Andrew Jackson, dem. . .
Henry Clay, whig
Jackson plurality
1834 — *Robert Lucas, dem
James Findlay, whig. . . .
Lucas plurality
1836 — Martin Van Buren, dem. .
*Wm. H. Harrison, whig.
Van Buren plurality. .
1838 — •* Wilson Shannon, dem...
Joseph Vance, whig
Shannon plurality
1840 — Wilson Shannon, dem. . .
*Thomas Corwin, whig .
83
32
115
51
339
3
342
336
217
52
355
109
382
464
246
557
259
816
298
528
325
853
203
702
677
i>379
25
948
626
1,574
322
'
1,204
994
2,208
Shannon plurality 220
124
1842-
-* Wilson Shannon, dem. . . 1,308
Thomas Corwin, whig. . . 778 2,086
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
1863 — Clement L. Vallandigham,
Shannon plurality 530
1844 — David Tod, dem 1,671
*Mordecai Bartley, whig. 1,123
Leicester King, free soil. 4 2,798
Tod plurality 548
1846 — David Tod, dem 1,181
* William Bebb, whig 644
Samuel Lewis, free soil.. 22 1,847
1848-
1850-
1851-
1853-
1855-
Tod plurality 537
-John B. Weller, dem 1,558
*Seabury Ford, whig.... 751
Scattering 84 2,393
Ford plurality 807
-* Reuben Wood, dem 1,055
William Johnston, whig. 538 1,593
Wood plurality 517
-*Reuben \'\^ood, dem. ...1,551
Samuel F. Vinton, whig. 683 2,234
Wood plurality 868
-*Winiam MediU, dem. . . . 1,778
Nelson Barrere, whig.
Samuel Lewis, free soil.
525
306 2,609
MediU plurality 1,253
-Wihiam Medill, dem... .1,710
*Salmon P Chase, rep... 1,449
Allen Trimble, amer. ... 43 3,202
MediU -plurality 261
1857 — Henry B. Payne, dem. . . .2,038
*Salmon P. Chase, rep... 1,457
Philadelphia Van Trump,
amer 27 3,522
1859-
1861-
Payne plurality 581
-Rufus P. Ranney, dem... 2, 258
*WiUiam Dennison, rep.. 1,550 3,808
Ranney plurality 708
-Hugh J. Jewett, dem 2,501
*David Tod, rep i,734 4,235
dem 2,948
*John Brough, union rep. .2,157 5>ic>5
Vallandigham plurality . 79 1
1865 — George W. Morgan, dem. 2,911
*Jacob D. Cox, rep i,759 4,670
1867-
1869-
Morgan plurality 1,152
-Allen G. Thurman, dem . . 3,497
*Rutherford B. Hayes, rep. 1,864 5,361
Thurman plurality. . . . 1,633
-Geo. H. Pendleton, dem. .3,183
*Rutherford B. Hayes, rep. 1,631 4.814
Pendleton plurality. . . . 1,552
1871 — George W. McCook, dem. 2,948
*Edward . Noyes, rep. . ... 1,690
Gideon T. Stewart, proh 26 4,664
i«73-
McCook plurality 1,258
!= William Allen, dem . . . . 2,879
Edward F Noyes, rep.. 1,292
Gideon T. Stewart, proh 180
Isaac Collins, liberal. . 25 4,376
1875-
AUen plurality 1,587
-William Allen, deiii 3,834
* Rutherford B. Hayes, rep. 2,064
Jay OdeU, prob 44 5,942
AUen plurality i-77°
1877 — * Richard M. Bishop, dem. 3,498
WiUiam H. West, rep. .. 1,581
Scattering 177 5,256
1879-
Bishop plurality 1,917
-Thomas Ewing, dem. . . .4,193
*Charles Foster, rep 2,213
Gideon T. Stewart, proh 135
A. Sanders Piatt, peo. . . 43 6,584
Ewing plurality 1,980
-John W. Bookwalter, dem. 3,608
*Charles Foster, rep 1,967
Abraham R. Ladow, prob 256
John Seitz, peo 56 5,887
Jewett plurality 767
Bookwalter plurality. . . 1,641
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
125
1883 — * George Hoadley, dem...4,457
Joseph B. Foraker, rep . . 2,478
Scattering 49 6,982
Hoadley plurality i,979
1885 — George Hoadley, dem.... 4,269
* Joseph B. Foraker, rep. .2,364
Adna B. Leonard, proh . . 297
John W. Northup, peo. . 25 6,955
Hoadley plurality i ,905
1887 — Thomas E. Powell, dem.. 4,258
* Joseph B. Foraker, rep.. 2,295
Morris Sharp, proh 227
John Seitz, peo 310 7,090
Powell plurality ^,9^2
1889 — * James E. Campbell, dem. 4,767
Joseph B. Foraker, rep.. 2,353
John B. Helwig, proh . . . 222 7,342
Campbell plurality. .. .2,414
1891 — ^James E. Campbell, dem. .4,400
*William McKinley, rep . . 2,346
John J. Ashenhurst, proh 122
John Seitz, peo 428 7,296
Campbell plurality .... 2,054
1893 — Lawrence T. Neal, dem. . .4,110
* William McKinley, rep . . 2,678
Gideon P. Mackin, proh. 150
Edward J. Bracken, peo. 224 7,162
Neal plurality 1,432
1895 — James E. Campbell, dem.. 4,395
*Ada S. Bushnell, rep 2,557
Jacob S. Coxey, peo. ... 535
Seth H. Ellis, proh 154
William Watkins, soc. lab 5 7,646
Campbell plurality. . . . 1,838
1897 — Horace L. Chapman, dem. 4,725
*Asa S. Bushnell, rep.... 2,4 16
John C. Holliday, proh . . 59
Jacob S. Coxey, peo.... 81
William Watkins, soc. lab 10
Scattering 17 7,308
Chapman plurality ...2,309
'T899— John R. McLean, dem... 4,538
*George K. Nash, rep. . . .2,417
Samuel M. Jones, non-
partisan 637
Seth H. Ellis, reform... 90
Robert Bandlow, soc. lab 39 7,721
McLean plurality 2,121
1 90 1 — James Kilbourne, dem. . . .4,298
*George K. Nash, rep .... 2,396
E. Jay Pinney, proh ... 90
John Richardson, reform 22
Harry C. Thompson, soc yy
John H. G. Juergens,
soc. lab 16 6,899
Kilbourne plurality. . . . 1,902
1903 — Tom L. Johnson, dem. . . .4,425
* Myron T. Herrick, rep. .2,478
Nelson D. Creamer, proh 91
Isaac Cowen, soc 124
John D. Goerke, soc. lab. 17 7,135
Johnson plurality i,947
1905 — *John M. Pattison, dem.. 5,000
Myron T. Herrick, rep. .2,489
Aaron S. Watkins, proh. 74
Isaac Cowen, soc 112
John C. Steiger, soc. lab. 8 7,683
Patterson plurality 2,511
1908 — *Judson Harmon, dem... 5,913
191C
Myron T. Herrick, rep.
Robert Bandlow, soc . . .
John B. Martin, proh . .
Harmon plurality. . . .
-*Judson Harmon, dem. .
Warren G. Harding, rep
Tom CliiTord, soc ....
J. R. Malley, soc. lab
3,i««
151
77 9,329
2,725
5,450
2,141
315
17
Henry N. Thompson, proh 33 7,956
Harmon plurality .... 3,309
Crawford county has not fared very well
as regards state offices. It started in all right,
but later devoted more attention to the hold-
ing of county offices, leaving other counties
to fill the state positions. In 1830, Moses H.
Kirby of Crawford was appointed secretary
of state, and held the office for three years.
Over fifty years passed when the next man
126
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
to hold one of the state offices was E. B. Fin-
ley. His office was also an appointive one,
he being tendered the position of adjutant gen-
eral of the state by Governor Hoadley, serving
from 1884 to 1886. In 1895 Crawford county,
for the first time, elected one of its citizens to
a state position, Frank S. Monnett being
elected attorney general and reelected in 1897.
Another ten years elapsed and in 19 10 Syl-
vanus Strode was elected as dairy and food
commissioner, and renominated again this
year.
In 1856, Josiah Scott was elected a judge
of the supreme court. He came to Crawford
in 1829, but removed to Butler county in 1850,
and was elected from that county, and re-
elected for two terms, and at the expiration of
his judgeship returned to Crawford county,
so this county has a right to claim him. In
1876, the supreme court was so far behind in
its business that several additional judges were
appointed by Gov. Hayes to serve for three
years, and Judge Scott was one of the ap-
pointees on what was known as the supreme
court commission.
Another citizen of Crawford to hold office
in the capitol was Charles W. McCracken, who
was appointed canal commissioner in 1896
by Governor Bushnell.
In 1867 Cochran Fulton of this county was
nominated on the democratic ticket for state
treasurer but was defeated. Judge Thomas
Beer was nominated for supreme judge in
1892, on the democratic ticket, but was
defeated.
In the legislature this county has held
several positions. The first was John R.
Knapp, who established the Peoples Forum
in 1845, ^"d in 1847 was appointed one of the
clerks of the Ohio senate. The next year he
was a candidate for the clerkship. The senate
stood democrats 17, whigs 17, free soil 2,
and the first ballot resulted Knapp, dem., 18;
Galloway, whig, 13; Tappan, whig, 4; Stanley,
free soil, i. Balloting commenced on Decem-
ber 5, and Knapp was elected on December
8, on the 121st ballot, receiving just the 19
votes necessary to elect, the other 17 votes
scattering between six candidates. The next
year he was elected on the second ballot. The
contest over clerk was due to the fact that
prior to 1850 the clerk of the senate had con-
trol of the state advertising, which amounted
to about $50,000 annually to some Columbus
newspaper. In 1898 David O. Castle was
elected as clerk of the senate serving one term.
In 19 10 W. I. Goshorn of the Gallon Inquirer,
was elected clerk of the senate, and is the
present incumbent.
In 1874 Thomas Coughlin was elected clerk
of the house, serving one term. He was also
an editor of the Forum, owning that office
from 1862 to 1868, later serving two terms
as clerk of the court.
In 1890 Senator Perry M. Adams (Seneca
county), representing this district in the state
senate, was elected president pro tem of that
body holding the office for two years.
Two citizens of Crawford county have re-
ceived presidential appointments abroad, both
newspaper men and both in the consular
service. In 183 1 William Crosby published
the second paper ever issued in Bucyrus, which
he called the Bucyrus Journal; he continued
it for several years under different names,
and in 1845 President Polk appointed him
United States Consul at Talcahuano, Chili,
and after serving for some time he found the
office was not a paying institution and resigned
to go into the business of whale fishing which
proved more profitable. In 1898 President
McKinley appointed John E. Hopley, editor
of the Evening Telegraph, as United States
Consul to Southampton, England, and in 1903
he was promoted to the Consulate at Monte-
video, Uruguay, where he served for two years
returning to his editorial work in 1905.
Campaigning in the old days was vastly dif-
ferent from what it is today, and prior to 1850
a speech a day was about all the dates a can-
didate could fill, but if he were some promi-
nent leader, the people assembled from miles
around, and little towns of only a few hun-
dred had crowds that numbered away up into
the thousands. Generally the distinguished
speaker was attended from one town to the
next by a delegation of worshippers. It was
about 1849 that John Brough made a demo-
cratic speech at Bucyrus. His next date was
at Tiffin, and Jacob Scroggs, Tom Orr, and a
few other of the faithful young democrats of
that day, started with him to Tiffin. The roads
were bad, as they generally were, and reach-
ing Melmore they decided to stay over night
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
127
and continue their journey in the morning.
After supper they found there was a whig
meeting in progress at the school house ad-
dressed by some local celebrity, and to put in
the time attended the meeting. Brough was
like the old Dutch governors of New York, he
was built on the purest of geometrical prin-
ciples ; he was five feet, six inches tall and six
feet, five inches in circumference, and as jovial
and good natured as men of that build gen-
erally are. He was a great lover of a joke.
During the young man's speech, he was scath-
ing in his denunciations of the democratic
party and defied any man present ' to contra-
dict his assertions. After several challenges
hurled at the audience, Biough quietly arose,
and with his mildest look, innocently said,
"Young man, if you have no objection I would
like to answer some of your assertions."
Brough looked anything but a statesman or an
orator, and the young man jumped at the
chance, smilingly thinking of how he would
cover himself with glory by later literally
skinning the unsophisticated looking stranger
alive. Brough was one of the great orators
of his day, and added to this was the happy
faculty of being one of the people, and making
himself at home with them. With his wit and
humor, sarcasm and oratory he soon had the
audience wild, and they were spell bound under
his matchless eloquence, and when he con-
cluded there was no answer from the young
man, but instead cheer after cheer for the dis-
tinguished speaker.
Another orator of the early days was
Cooper K. Watson, not a natural born orator
like Brough and Gibson, still an orator. He
was a candidate for congress in this district
in 1856, and had a date for an evening meet-
ing at New Winchester, and Jacob Scroggs
drove him down. Watson was , a republican,
and Mr. Scroggs was one of the many in the
county who had joined the new party. When
•they reached New Winchester, they found
a faithful republican who had built a fire and
lighted up the school house. On their arrival
he rang the bell, and the three waited. After
half an hour Watson inquired where the rest
of th^ people were, and was informed that
there would probably be no one else there.
Scroggs was for canceling the meeting, but
Watson held the man had come to hear a re-
publican speech, and he would not disappoint
him. So Scroggs presided, and introduced the
speaker, and Watson addressed his single
listener for an hour and a half, and when the
speech was over the man turned out the lights,
locked the door and went home, the two men
driving back to Bucyrus.
John R. Clymer was clerk of the court from
about 1862 to 1868, Tom Coughlin at the time
being editor of the Forum, and Coughlin con-
cluded to run for clerk, the arrangement being
that if he got the nomination Clymer would
buy the Forum. Coughlin's principal oppon-
ent was A. A. Ruhl. In the course of his can-
vass Coughlin stated that he visited Gallon,
and met Dr. D. Shumaker there, one of the
prominent democrats, and solicited him for his
support. Shumaker promptly replied that he
was friendly to Mr. Ruhl, that gentleman hav-
ing formerly been a Gallon man and his people
prominent in that town in its early days, there-
fore he should certainly support Ruhl. The
Doctor then inquired about Mr. Clymer, who
was also a Gallon man, and whose ancestors
were also pioneers, and asked what he pro-
posed to do when he left the clerkship.
"Why," said Coughlin, "if I'm elected clerk,
Clymer is going to buy the Forum."
The Doctor promptly replied: "If that's
the case you can count on my support. The
Lord knows the Forum needs a change of
editors."
Coughlin got the nomination, and Mr.
Clymer became editor of the Forum.
After Mr. Clymer retired from the Forum
he was a candidate for the nomination for
probate judge. He was one of the polished
speakers of the county, was more than friendly
with everybody, in fact effervesced in his ex-
pressions of interest in everyone. He was
not good at remembering names and faces,
and during the campaign met a young demo-
crat in the postofhce, shook him warmly by the
hand and expressed his great delight at meet-
ing him, spoke of his dear old father and
mother, and how he always loved to meet
them, and finally inquired after the father.
The young man solemnly replied: "Why,
Mr. Clymer, father died last year."
"Ah," said Mr. Clymer, "so he did. I re-
member it now, and how sorry I was to hear
of it; if ever there was a democratic saint on
128
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
earth, it was your dear old father. I'm a can-
didate for probate judge and I know I can
count on your support." ^
Half an hour later, Mr. Clyraer met ^he
same young man on the street, and his face
looking familiar he shook him warmly by the
hand and expressed his great delight at meet-
ing him, spoke of his dear old father and
mother, and how he had always loved to meet
them and then inquired, "How is your dear
old father?"'
The young man promptly replied: "He's
still dead."
In 1 86 1 Joseph Worden was elected sheriff
of the county, and when he took charge the
following year he had as his assistant his older
brother, better known as "Uncle Jimmie"
Worden, who was prouder of his ofifice as
deputy than his brother was of the Shrievality.
He was as faithful and accommodating in his
duties as he was averse to fine raiment and
soap and water. He was so friendly and good
natured and willing that everybody overlooked
his lack of cleanliness. When his brother left
the office in 1866, "Uncle Jimmie" was out
of his job, but he pined in secret for the posi-
tion, and in 1869 he astonished everybody by
announcing his name as a candidate for
sheriff. It was regarded as a joke, and the
only man in the county who took the matter
seriously was "Uncle Jimmie" himself. In
1826 the sheriff's office was thrust ^on a man
who had just become a resident of the county,
but in 1869 things were different, and half a
dozen men were in a terrific struggle to have
the "thrust" come their way. It was cut and
slash between the candidates, except "Uncle
Jimmie," and he was allowed to follow the
harmless amusement of running for office un-
molested. In fact, the other candidates rather
"pitied the sorrows of a poor old man," and
while all had a bitter word for their opponents
they had a kindly word for "Uncle Jimmie,"
and when they failed to land a man, generally
closed with the remark, "Well, if you can't
vote for me don't do me any harm, and if you
can vote for Uncle Jimmie ; he's a nice old fel-
low, and it will break his heart when he finds
how few votes he got."
The April primaries came. The ballots
were cast and counted, and to the astonish-
ment of everybody, except Uncle Jimmie him-
self, he was the winner. His every act and
manner showed that he was astonished that
anyone would think they could defeat him
for sheriff.
The above is the story handed down of
"Uncle Jimmie's" election as sheriff of the
county. His candidacy had been a huge joke
to, it was believed, every one but himself^
yet there may be another side to it ; as deputy
for four years he had been the faithful and
willing servant of his brother, the bar and the
people; that he took more pride in the office
than he did in his own personal appearance
his dress gave unquestioned proof, but per-
haps there were more people remembered his
faithful service than his opponents expected.
For four years he was the happiest and
least dressy man that ever held office in the
county. But he still had those good qualities
of willingness and an accomodating disposi-
tion, and he never complained. Notwithstand-
ing his slovenliness he was not disliked by the
other officials, and as proof of this a glance at
the election returns of 1871 when he was re-
elected, shows he had the largest majority of
any candidate on the county ticket. He was
a poor writer and a still poorer reader of writ-
ing, although he prided himself on his ability
in reading writing. Once, in dead of winter, a
witness was wanted in an important case; the
subpoena was made out and handed to Jimmie.
He spelled it out slowly and carefully and left
the court room. The important witness only
lived a block away. A half hour passed
and no Jimmie ; an hour went by and another
hour followed it and still no Jimmie, and court
was stopped awaiting his arrival. Inquiries
were made but he could not be found. It was
10 o'clock when he left the court room; he
promptly went to the livery stable, secured a
rig and started north on the Tiffin road. It
was bitter cold, and the Tiffin road was the
worst in the county in winter, and this year
worse than usual, so the horse walked the
entire seven miles until he stopped at the store
of Daniel Fralic in Wingert's Corners where
Jimmie served the subpoena on the squire.
The Squire put on his glasses, read the docu-
ment over carefully, and returning it said:
"Why sheriff, this supoena isn't for me; it's-
for Dr. Cuykendall at Bucyrus." Jimmie
never complained, and never said a word or
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
131
made any explanation. It was noon, and he
didn't even stop to eat, but got in his buggy
and drove slowly back to Bucyrus, and handed
the document to Dr. Cuykendall, who
promptly repaired to the court house reaching
there at three o'clock. Jimmie made no ex-
planation, but when Squire Fralic came to town
the following Saturday, the story came out.
When twitted about it Jimmie got even with
the pointed remark: "Lawyers always were
such d — n poor writers."
Many who have had occasion to puzzle over
the chirography of some members of the
Crawford county bar will incline to "Uncle
Jimmie's" view.
Although the sheriff is the official who deals
with criminals it is a singular fact that while
no sheriff has lost his life in the discharge of
his duties, yet more have met with violent
deaths than any other class of officials in the
county. Of the twenty-five sheriffs, five have
met with violent deaths.
John Caldwell, sheriff from '44 to '46^ on
the discovery of gold in California, started
across the plains and was never heard from
afterward, believed to have been killed by the
Indians; his body never having been found.
Jonathan Kissinger, '50 to '54, after his term
of office, removed to Williams county, and
was killed by the cars. His successor, Wil-
liam C. Beal, '54 to '58, a few years after leav-
ing the office, was killed by the cars west of
Bucyrus. Joseph C. Worden, '62 to '66, was
run over by the cars at Galion and killed.
Daniel Keplinger, '66 to '70, was just com-
pleting his second term, when on the morning
of Saturday, Nov. 6, 1869, he was thrown
from his buggy while driving, and after lin-
gering for days died on Dec. 9, the only sher-
iff to die in office. The Bar Association held
a meeting with Franklin Adams as chairman
and John Hopley as secretary, passed resolu-
tions of respect, and Judge Chester R. Mott
adjourned court for six days; the bar at-
tended the funeral in a body, which was con-
ducted by La Salle Lodge I. O. O. F. Much
of the political bitterness that arose during
the war still existed, yet the Journal, the op-
position organ to the sheriff politically, paid
the following tribute to his memory:
"He won the respect and confidence of all
with whom he came in contact. In an emi-
nent degree he was "diligent in business." He
softened the asperities of his office without
relaxing the rigor of his duties; and where
many persons would have caused lasting harsh
feelings, he made warm friends. Even in
temper, calm in character, inflexible in integ-
rity, faithful in duty, and firm in the execu-
tion of it, he possessed and justly merited
the esteem of all."
To the people of the present day, there may
be wonder at this insertion of a deserved
tribute to a faithful official. And yet there
were many republicans in that day who se-
verely criticized the republican organ for "go-
ing out of its way" to praise a democrat.
Times indeed have changed
"Through the shadow of the globe we sweep
into the younger day ;
Better fity years of Europe than a cycle
of Cathay."
The present generation little know and can
not remember the intensity of the bitterness
that was engendered by the Civil war. How
it started or why it started it is difficult to
determine. For the first thirty years of the
republic, party lines were a -division bet-
tween the federalists, who believed in a few
controlling and the democrats and republi-
cans, who believed in the people controll-
ing. The people won, and under Jackson
took the name of democrat, their opposi-
tion being whigs, but both believing in the
right of the people to rule, that question hav-
ing been forever settled by the death of the
federalist party. From the time of Jackson
for thirty years the democratic party formu-
lated the laws and were the up-builders of
the nation. All attempts to overthrow their
tremendous hold on the people- were unavail-
ing. The whigs, as a party, were shifty, eva-
sive and compromising, and succeeded in but
one thing and that was to drive the demo-
cratic party unwillingly into a defense of slav-
ery. On this issue the south became dicta-
torial and the party was disrupted in i860; it
was the north against the south in the demo-
cratic party. At the election in i860, Craw-
ford's vote was Douglas, northern democrat,
2,752; Lincoln, republican, 2,064; Brecken-
ridge, southern democrat, 117. There was
no question where Crawford stood. The war
132
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
broke out, and democrats and republicans alike
responded to their country's call, and for a
year there was a united sentiment in the
county, for the defense of the union.
Shrewd men in the rising young republican
party, saw that in a successful and popular
war their lease of power would be perpet-
uated; equally shrewd men in the democratic
party, feared the disintegration of their once
powerful party, and as a result first criticised,
then opposed, and finally became openly hos-
tile to the administration and in many cases
strong sympathizers with the southern cause.
This feeling was mostly confined- to the
party leaders, for during the entire war, ex-
cept among the most bitter, enlistments con-
tinued regardless of party. But it is true that
the 117 Breckenridge men eventually molded
the opinion of the county, and Crawford be-
came an anti-war county. Many altercations
arose between the soldiers returning on fur-
lough and the rougher elements in the demo-
cratic party and fights and knock-downs were
frequent; a political meeting was almost in-
variably followed by assaults on citizens. In
many cases shots were fired, the most serious
being the result of an altercation in the Fulton
drug store when three soldiers were wounded,
one very seriously. In many places in the
country chui;ches were desecrated, their win-
dows broken, and two were destroyed be-
cause the minister was a union sympathizer.
In the country also known union sympathizers
found their stock poisoned, their barns and
outhouses burned, and their families ostra-
cised. It is a singular fact that when a na-
tion is engaged in a prolonged war the baser
instincts pervade human nature, and among
the more ignorant and brutal the animal in-
stincts prevail, and it was this class that led
the outrages in defiance of law and of decency.
The seed sown by local leaders started a force
which got beyond their control. When the
draft came armed resistance was prepared for,
but wiser counsels prevailed and the drafts
passed off quietly. To add to the intensity of
the situation. Judge Hall was arrested for al-
leged treasonable utterances, and taken a pris-
oner to the camp at Mansfield. He was re-
leased on parole, but his arrest added fuel to
the flames among his friends. A warrant wa.s
issued for the arrest of A. M. Jackson for al-
leged treasonable utterances, but when the sol-
diers searched his house he was not to be
found. A republican friend at Crestline had
sent word to him that the soldiers were on
their way to arrest him, and Mr. Jackson took
refuge in the house of a friend. He remained
in hiding several weeks, changing his resi-
dence every few days, so that his place of
refuge could not be traced. The alleged
treasonable utterances were very mild criti-
cisms of the war to what occurred later, when
no attention was paid to them. The demo-
cratic* organ carried two flags, which they
flew over their office. When there was a rebel
victory, the Stars and Stripes were flung to
the breeze, and when the Union forces were
successful the flag flown was of pure white,
containing a picture of a dove, and in its
beak the olive branch of peace. All day long
on July 4, of 1863, business was almost sus-
pended in Bucyrus, and men frequented the
telegraph office to gain what little tidings they
could of the fearful conflict on the field of
Gettysburg. The early reports were unfav-
orable, and night settled on an anxious, doubt-
ing and discouraged village. In the evening
a jollification meeting was held on account of
the fourth, and one of the speakers in his de-
nunciation of the war, thundered forth the
inquiry: "Where now are your shattered
armies? fleeing before the victorious hosts of
Lee in Pennsylvania." This was not the feel-
ing of the better element of the democratic
party in the county; it was the expression of
the views of a class which catered to the vicious
element of the community, an element so law-
less that men found it the safer policy not
to openly denounce their outrages. Naturally
war brought its hardships, its deprivations, and
its struggles on the families of soldiers in the
field, but under the law each county levied a
tax, the proceeds of which were distributed
monthly by the auditor and commissioners to
deserving families in need. Besides this, the
citizens of both parties gave freely of their
means to see that none should suffer, and
many a grocer and store keeper had charges
on his books for the necessaries of life which
were never presented for collection and of
which sometimes no entry was even made.
This county had a very strong German popu-
lation, and nine-tenths of them belonged to
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
133
the democratic party, and yet a very large
majority of these same German democrats
were for the preservation of the Union. The
majority of the people in Crawford were loyal
during the war, but the county did gain an
unenviable notoriety through a disorderly ele-
ment in nearly every section being allowed to
commit their outrages with very little protest
from their neighbors and much less restraint
by the authorities. It was a case where the
people controlled, not the whole people, but
the worst element as in the days of the French
Revolution. It not only gave the county a
bad name, but it did more than anything else
to bring on the intense party bitterness which
it took years to overcome. Some churches
in the county were so intense in their unionism
that the Christianity of a democrat was so
doubted that he was compelled to sever his
connection with the church, or left it volun-
tarily to avoid the suspicions with which he
was viewed by his democratic neighbors.
Other churches were composed exclusively of
democrats. There were republican stores and
democratic stores, republican and democratic
hotels and barber shops, and nine-tenths of
the trade of each came from their own
partisans. So intense was the feeling that it
is dqubtful if a democratic store in the town
had a republican clerk, and when some of
the leading republican stores later had a demo-
cratic clerk they were regarded as unfaithful
to their party obligations. In many churches
it took careful handling by the ministers to
avoid friction in their congregations.
Crawford county since the time of Andrew
Jackson has been a democratic county, and
since the courthouse was built in 1856, with
one exception no republican ever held office
within its portals, and that one republican was
not elected but got there by appointment. In
1857 Patrick S. Marshall was elected pro-
bate judge and in August, 1858, he resigned.
Under the law the probate judge is the only
county office in which the vacancy is filled
by the appointment of the governor. Gov.
Chase, a republican, was then governor and
he appointed S. J. Elliott to serve until his
successor was elected and qualified. Abram
Summers was elected in October, and as soon
as he received his commission he entered on
the duties of his office.
As to other offices there has not been in
this county a republican or whig official since
the day the democratic party took its name
under Andrew Jackson, eighty years ago. In
1853 Mr. Beal was elected sheriff as an in-
dependent, the whigs making no nomination,
and he receiving their support. But he was
a democrat from Gabon. Kissinger had been
elected in 1849 and 1851, and was renomi-
nated in 1853. The new constitution had
changed the law so that no sheriff could serve
for more than four years consecutively. The
friends of Kissinger held that the limitation
could only commence under the new constitu-
tion, but the people doubted it, and Beal was
elected by less than 200 majority, his town-
ship of Polk giving him practically their
unanimous vote.
Twice, disputes arose over the Democratic
primaries and two candidates ran on that
ticket for the same office, but a democrat can-
didate won over the republican in each case.
In 1887, John H. Keller came within 300 votes
of being elected representative, and still later,
in 1906, Joseph Mollencop was defeated for
commissioner by less than a hundred votes.
In 1856 the tidal wave toward the new re-
publican party landed James Lewis of this
county in the office of state senator. With
the exception of Mr. Lewis the only two per-
sons who defeated the democratic candidate
for state senator since the time of Andrew
Jackson were James H. Godman in 1840, and
Hezekiah Gorton in 1836, both of Marion.
In the lower house at Columbus the last man
who succeeded in defeating the democratic
nominee in this county was John Carey, in
1843.
The first election was in 1820; what is now
Crawford county (west of Auburn and Ver-
non townships) was then all one township,
called Sandusky (which also included nearly
all of the present Marion county.) This San-
dusky township for judicial purposes was a
part of Delaware county. At this first elec-
tion, the polling place was at the house of
James Murray, a mile north of where Marion
now stands. There were 48 votes cast, and
one of the trustees elected was Daniel Fickle,
who three years later moved to Bucyrus town-
ship. The Delaware records also show that
Sandusky township was in existence in 1821,
134
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
as on April 15, of that year commissions were
issued to Westell Ridgely and Joseph Young
as justices of the peace of Sandusky township,
Westell Ridgely then living near the present
village of Leesville and Joseph Young near
•Bucyrus, neither town having yet been started
or even dreamed of. Sandusky township then
was probably from the western boundary of
Auburn and Vernon to the western boundary
of Bucyrus, about 15 miles, and from the
southern boundary of Bucyrus to the north
county line, 18 miles. It was easy to be
elected to office in those days as witness the
following from the recollect'ions of M. Peters,
a pioneer of Marion county. "The first elec-
tion was held (1821) for one justice of the
peace. There being no candidates, I selected
W. Crawford and he selected me, and thus
there was a tie. The clerk of Delaware county
cast lot and drew for Crawford." But gen-
erosity has its reward as in the fall Squire
Crawford resigned and Peters was elected.
The following is a complete list of the dis-
trict and county officials since the organiza-
tion of the county, the years given being the
date of their election:
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS
District VIII, 1824, elector Henry Brown,
Franklin county, candidate, Henry Clay ; party,
whig.
District VIII, 1828, elector, John M. Elvain,
Franklin county; candidate *Andrew Jack-
son; party, dem.
District XIV, 1832, elector, William S.
Tracy, Huron county; candidate *Andrew
Jackson, party, dem.
District XIV, 1836, elector John P. Coulter,
Richland county; candidate, William H. Har-
rison; party whig.
District XIV, 1840, elector, John Carey,
Crawford county; candidate, *William H.
Harrison; party whig.
District VI, 1844, elector, Josiah Scott,
Crawford county; candidate, Henry Clay;
party, whig.
District VI, 1848, elector, John Caldwell,
Crawford county; candidate, Lewis Cass;
party, dem.
District IX, 1852, elector, William Palmer,
Hardin county; candidate, *Franklin Pierce;
party, dem.
District IX, 1856, elector, R. G. Penning-
ton, Seneca county; candidate, John C. Fre-
mont; party, rep.
District IX, i860, elector, John F. Hinkle,
Wyandot county; candidate, *Abraham Lin-
coln; party, rep.
District IX, 1864, elector, Jacob Scroggs,
Crawford county; candidate, * Abraham Lin-
coln ; party, rep.
District IX, 1868, elector, L. A. Hall, Seneca
county; candidate, *Ulysses S. Grant; party,
rep.
District XIV, 1872, elector, Isaac M. Kirby,
Wyandot county; candidate, *Ulysses S.
Grant; party, rep.
District XIV, 1876, elector, L. B. Matson,
Richland county; candidate, *Rutherford B.
Hayes; party, rep.
District, XIV, 1880, elector, Jacob Scroggs,
Crawford county; candidate, *James A. Gar-
field; party, rep.
District VII, 1884, elector, Lovell B. Har-
ris, Wyandot county; candidate, James G.
Blaine ; party, rep.
District V, 1888, elector, Jacob Werner,
Seneca county; candidate, *Benjamin Harri-
son; party, rep.
District XIII, 1892, elector, Joseph E. Mc-
Neal, Marion county; candidate, Benjamin
Harrison; party, rep.
District XIII, 1896, elector, Henry L. Wen-
ner, Seneca county; candidate, *William Mc-
Kinley; party, rep.
District XIII, 1900, elector^ Henry B. Hane,
Marion county; candidate, * William McKin-
ley; party, rep.
District XIII, 1904, elector, Ralph D.
Sneath, Seneca county; candidate, *Theodore
Roosevelt; party, rep.
District XIII, 1908, elector, I. H. Burgoon,
Sandusky county; candidate, * William H.
Taft; party, rep.
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
VIII — Crawford, Coshocton, Delaware,
Franklin, Knox, Licking, Marion.
1824 — William Wilson, Licking, whig.
1826 — William Wilson, Licking, whig.
1828 — William Stanberry, Licking, whig.
1830 — William Stanberry, Licking, whig.
*EIected president.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
135
XIV — Crawford, Huron, Richland, San-
dusky, Seneca.
1832 — William Patterson, Richland, dem.
1834 — William Patterson, Richland, dem.
1836 — William H. Hunter, Huron, dem.
1838 — George Sweney, Crawford, dem.
1840 — George Sweney, Crawford, dem.
VI — Crawford, Hancock, Ottawa, San-
dusky, Seneca, Wood.
1842 — Henry St. John, Seneca, dem.
1844 — Henry St. John, Seneca, dem.
1846 — Rudolphus Dickinson, Sandusky,
dem.
1848 — Rudolphus Dickinson* dem; Amos
E. Wood, dem; John Bell, dem;
all of Sandusky. ■
1850 — Frederick W. Green, Seneca, dem.
IX — Crawford, Hardin, Marion, Ottawa,
Sandusky, Seneca, Wyandot.
1852 — Frederick W. Green, Seneca, dem.
1854 — Cooper K. Watson, Seneca, rep.
1856 — Lawrence W. Hall, Crawford, dem.
1858 — John Carey, Wyandot, rep.
i860 — Warren P. Noble, Seneca, dem.
IX — Crawford, Erie, Huron, Sandusky,
Seneca, Wyandot.
1862 — Warren P. Noble, Seneca, dem.
1864 — Ralph P. Buckland, Sandusky, rep.
1866 — Ralph P. Buckland, Sandusky, rep.
1868 — E. F. Dickinson, Sandusky, dem.
1870 — Charles Foster, Seneca, rep.
XIV — Ashland, Crawford, Holmes, Rich-
land, Wyandot.
1872 — John Berry,. Wyandot, dem.
1874 — Jacob P. Cowan, Ashland, dem.
1876 — Ebenezer B. Finley, Crawford, dem.
VIII — Crawford, Hardin, Marion, Morrow,
Seneca, Wyandot.
1878 — Ebenezer B. Finley, Crawford, dem.
XIV — ^Ashland, Crawford, Holmes, Rich-
land, Wyandot.
1880 — George W. Geddes, Richland, dem.
*During his second term Rudolphus Dickinson
died, and Amos E. Wood of Sandusky county was
elected to the vacancy. Wood died, and John
Bell, of Sandusky county was elected to fill the un-
expired term, about two months.
V— Crawford, Hancock, Seneca, Putnam,
Wyandot.
1882— George E. Seney, Seneca, dem.
VII — Crawford, Hancock, Seneca, Wood,
Wyandot. .
1884— George E. Seney, Seneca, dem.
V — Crawford, Hancock, Putnam, Seneca,
Wyandot.
1886 — George E. Seney, Seneca, dem.
1888 — George E. Seney, Seneca, dem.
XV — Ashland, Crawford, Delaware, Knox,
Morrow, Richland.
1890 — Michael D. Harter, Richland, dem.
XIII — Crawford, Erie, Marion, Sandusky,
Seneca, Wyandot.
1892 — Darius D. Hare, Wyandot, dem.
1894 — Stephen R. Harris, Crawford, rep.
1896 — James A. Norton, Seneca, dem.
1898 — James A. Norton, Seneca, dem.
1900 — Amos H. Jackson, Sandusky, rep.
1900 — Grant E. Mouser, Marion, rep.
1906 — Grant E. Mouser, Marion, rep.
1908 — Carl C. Anderson, Seneca, dem.
19 10 — Carl C. Anderson, Seneca, dem.
CIRCUIT COURT JUDGES
Thomas Beer, Crawford 1885 to 1893
John J. Moore, Putnam 1885 to 1895
Henry W. Seney, Hardin 1885 to 1896
James H. Day, Mercer 1893 to 1905
James L. Price, Allen 1895 to 1901
John K. Rohn,* Seneca 1896 to 1896
Ebenezer B. Finley, Crawford . 1896 to 1897
Caleb H. Norris, Marion 1897 to 1909
William T. Mooney, Auglaize . . 1 901 to 1905
Edward Vollrath,f Crawford . . . 1905 to 1906
Silas E. Hurin, Hancock 1905 to 191 1
Michael Donnelly, Henry 1906 to
W. H. Kinder, Hancock 1908 to
Philip Crowe, Hardin 1910 to
*Rohn was appointed by Gov. Bushnell to succeed
Seney who resigned, and in the fall Finley was elected
to fill the vacancy of the unexpired Seney term.
tVollrath was appointed by Gov. Herrick to succeed
Mooney, deceased.
136
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
Crawford was a part of the Third Circuit,
and in 1884 the counties composing that cir-
cuit were Allen, Augalize, Crawford, Defi-
ance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Logan,
Marion, Mercer, Paulding, Putnam, Seneca,
Union, Van Wert, Williams, Wood, Wyan-
dot. In 1887 Fulton, Williams and Wood
were transferred to the Sixth Circuit, leaving
the remaining sixteen counties the present
Third Circuit.
COMMON PLEAS JUDGES
Lawrence W. Hall, Crawford . . 1852 to 1856
Machias C. Whitely, Hancock . . 1856 to 1857
George E. Seney, Seneca 1856 to 1857
Josiah S. Plants,* Crawford . . . 185810 1863
Chester R. Mott, Wyandot 1866 to 1871
James Pillars, Seneca 1867 to 1877
Abner M. Jackson, Crawford . . 1871 to 1874
Thomas Beer, Crawford 1874 to 1886
Henry H. Dodge, Wood 1877 to 1880
Caleb H. Norris, Marion 1884 to 1897
Allen C. Smalley, Wyandot .... 1890 to 1900
James C. Tobias, Crawford .... 1897 to 1907
Boston G. Young,f Marion .... 1900 to 1910
Daniel Babst, Crawford 1907 to
William E. Scofield, Marion . . . i9ioto
In 185 1 Crawford was a part of the third
division of the Third District, the counties
being Crawford, Hancock, Seneca, Wood,
Wyandot. In 1879 the districts were ar-
ranged as they are at present, the counties
of Crawford, Marion and Wyandot being the
Second Subdivision of the Tenth Judicial Dis-
trict.
STATE SENATORS
Crawford, Delaware, Franklin, Madison,
Marion, Union.
1824 — David H. Beardsley, Marion, whig.
Crawford, Delaware, Marion, Sandusky,
Seneca.
1826 — James Kooken, Franklin, dem.
Crawford, Delaware, Marion.
1828 — Charles Carpenter, Delaware, whig.
*Josiah S. Plants died in 1863.
tBoston G. Young died in 1910, and Scofield was
appointed by Gov. Harmon to fill the vacancy, and in
November, 1910, was elected to fill the unexpired term
of Younf, and also for a full term.
1830 — Charles Carpenter, Delaware, whig.
1832 — James W. Crawford,* Delaware, dem.
1834 — Robert Hopkins, Marion, dem.
Crawford, Delaware, Marion, Union.
1836 — Hezekiah Gorton, Marion, whig.
1838 — Benjamin F. Allen, Delaware, dem.
Crawford, Delaware, Marion.
1840 — ^James H. Goodman, Marion, whig.
1842 — ^Joseph McCutchen, Crawford, dem.
Crawford, Sandusky, Seneca.
1844 — Amos E. Wood, Sandusky, dem.
Crawford, Sandusky, Seneca, Wyandot.
1846 — Henry Cronise, Seneca, dem.
Crawford, Richland.
1848 — Barnabas Burns, Richland, dem.
1850 — Barnabas Burns, Richland, dem.
Crawford, Seneca, Wyandot.
185 1 — Joel W. Wilson, Seneca, dem.
1853 — -Robert Lee, Crawford, dem.
1855 — James Lewis, Crawford, rep.
1857 — Robert McKelly, Wyandot, dem.
1859 — -Thomas J. Orr, Crawford, dem.
1861-63 — William Lang, Seneca, dem.
1865-67 — Curtis Berry, jr., Wyandot, dem.
1869-71 — Alexander E. Jenner, Crawford,
dem.
1873 — John Seitz, Seneca, dem.
1875 — Edson T. Stickney, Seneca, dem.
1877 — ^John Seitz, Seneca, dem.
1879-81 — Moses H. Kirby, Wyandot, dem.
1883-85— John H. ^^'illiston, Crawford,
dem.
1887-89 — Perry M. Adams, Seneca, dem.
1891-93 — William C. Gear, Wyandot, dem.
1895-97 — Horace E. Valentine, Crawford,
dem.
1899-01 — John C. Royer, Seneca, dem.
i903-05^Elzie Carter, Wyandot, dem.
1908 — James E. Cory, Crawford, dem.
1910 — Frank T. Dore, Seneca, dem.
*In 18.^3 charges were presented to the Senate
aflfecting the reputation of Senator Crawford, and the
matter was referred to a committee. On the unanimous
recommendation of the committee the Senate unani-
i-.ouslv expuno^ed the entire matter from the records.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 137
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1850 — William Bushncll, Richland, dem;
„ r , -.^ • c- J , c Clark K. Ward, Crawford, dein.
Crawford, Marion, Sandusky, Seneca.
1824— Jeremiah Everett, Sandusky, whig. "-J^^ ^^- Bucvrus
1825— Josiah Hedges, Seneca, dem. o^ ^^i , • ^%' ^"^y*^"^"
1826-Eber Baker! Marion, ;hig. 1853-Mordecai P. Bean Bucyrus.
1827-Samuel Lockwood, Sandusky, dem. i855-57-John Pitman, Holmes
' ' ■' 1859-61 — John S. Reisinger, Polk.
Crawford, Marion. 1863-65-Thomas Beer, Bucyrus.
i82^John Carey, Crawford, whig. ^gjr^rfcs T Whke tckson
1829— Robet Hopkins, Marion, dem. 1871-73— ihomas J White, Jackson.
1830-John Nimmon, Crawford, dem. 1875-77-Jacob G. Meuser Polk.
1831-William Brown, Marion, whig. I^^-Si-James E^ Cory, Cranberry.
1832-John Campbell, Crawford, dem. '^o^l^-George M. Zeigler Polk.
1833-James McCutchen, Crawford, dem. 1887-89-Philip Schuler Polk.
1834-John Campbell, Crawford, dem. 1891-93-BenjaminF. Taylor, Holmes.
i83S-James H. Goodman, Marion, whig. 1895-97-Andrew J^Hazlett, Bucyrus.
•^^ •' > ' t. 1899-01 — David O. Castle, Polk.
Crawford, Marion and Union. 1903-05-Frank Miller Jackson.
1836-John Carey, Crawford, whig; Ot- 1908-io-Lewis H. Battefeld, Bucyrus.
way Curry, Union, whig. state board of equalization
1837 — Otway Curry, Union, whig; Stephen o ^ t^ ■ 1 c -kj ^ v \mT n
Fowler, Crawford,. dem. 1826-Daniel S. Norton, Knox, VHI Con-,
1838— John Campbell, Crawford, dem; g^^^^^'^'^^l- . , ^ . ^^ ^r.r r-
Stephen Fowler, Crawford, dem. 1834— Pickett Lattimer, Huron, XIV Con-
1839— James H. Goodman, Marion, rep; gressional
Guy C. Worth, Crawford, dem. , 1841-George W. Sharp, Delaware, XIV
Senatorial.
Crawford, Delaware, Marion. i84^Joshua Seney, Seneca, XIV Sena-
1840 — Emery Moore, Delaware, whig; Jo- "^orial. „ „ T,r , ^t^^^tt
siah Scott, Crawford, whig. „ 1853— George T. Trees, Wyandot, XXXI
1841— Thomas W. Powell, Delaware, whig; Senatorial
James Grififith, Crawford, whig; „ i860— Rasselas R. Titus, Seneca, XXXI
George W. Sharp, Delaware, dem. Senatorial ^ , ^ ^^^-r
1842— Isaac E. James, Marion; dem; „ i87c>7-Andrew Dickson, Crawford, XXXI
George W. Sharp, Delaware, dem. Senatorial
1843— John Carey, Crawford, whig; Wil- i88<^J- S. Hare, Wyandot, XXXI Sena-
liam Smart, Delaware, whig. toria. ^ T.r c vwt c-
189a— Isaac Kagy, Seneca, XXXI Sena-
Crawford torial.
1844— Samuel S. Caldwell, Crawford, dem. ^ ipoo— Stephen Waller, Crawford, XXXI
Senatorial.
Crawford, Wyandot. ^^^, State Board of Equalization of 1900
1845— Michael Brackley, Wyandot, dem. T^'*^ ^^'*' ^^^. legislature passing a law
1846-George Donnenwirth, Crawford, abolishing an elective board.
dem. probate judges
1847 — Michael Brackley, Wyandot, dem.
Year elected
Crawford, Richland. James Eaton 1851
1848 — Daniel Brewer, Richland, dem; Sam- George Wiley 1854
uel Myers, Crawford, dem. Patterson S. Marshall* 1855-1857
1849 — Miller Moody, Richland, dem; Sam- *w;t„ a;^a \„„ ,,. • xq^^ j r- at j-„
^^ , ,, -^ V- i- J 1 * Wiley died Aug. 15, 1855, and Gov. Medill ap-
uel Myers, Crawford, dem. pointed Marshall. Marshall was elected in October
138
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
S.J.Elliott 1858
Abram Summers 1858-1860
James Clements 1863-1866
Robert Lee 1869-1872
Shannon Clements 1875-1878
Frederick Hipp 1881-1884
James C. Tobias 1887-1890
Charles Kinninger 1893-1896
William C. Kiess 1899-1902
Charles F. Schaber 1905-1908
AUDITORS
Year elected
James Martin 1826
Charles Merriman 1827
Edward Billups 1828
John Caldwell 1830-1832-1834
Jacob Howenstein^ 1836
George Sinn 1836-1838
Owen Williams 1842-1844
John Pitman 1846-1848
Abner M. Jackson 1850-1852
Edmund R. Kearsley 1854-1856-1858
Alexander A. Ruhl 1860-1862
Samuel S. Hoyt 1864-1866
William M. Scroggs 1868-1871
Frederick M. Swingly • 1873-1875
James H. Robinson 1877-1880
Adam J. High 1883-1886
Reuben Stable 1889-1892
J. F. Kimmerline 1895-1898
Jefferson I. Smith 1901-1904
G. F. Ackerman 1908-1910
SHERIFFS
Year elected
Hugh McCracken 1826-1827
John Miller 1829-1831
John Moderwell 1832-1833
David Holm 1835
John Shull 1837
Samuel Andrews 1839
James L. Harper^ 1841
i8SS» for the unexpired term ; and elected in October,
1857 ; he resigned in August, 1858, and Gov. Chase ap-
pointed Elliott; Summers was elected to the vacancy
in October and immediately took the office.
1 July 16, 1836, Caldwell resigned, and Howen-
stein was appointed. At the October election Howen-
stein was a candidate but was defeated, so in Decem-
ber he resigned and Sinn, who had been elected, was
appointed to the vacancy.
2 Andrews resigned Sept. 30, 1839, and Harper was
appointed.
John Caldwell 1843
James Clements 1845-1847
Jonathan Kissinger 1849-185 1
William C. Beal 1853-1855
John Franz 1857-1859 ■
Joseph C. Worden 1861-1863
Daniel Keplinger^ 1865- 1867
James Worden 1869-1871
Henry J. Row 1873-1875
John A. Schaber 1877-1879
John Keil 1881-1883
Peter Faeth 1885-1887
Christian F. Birk 1889-1891
John Keil . 1893-1895
Charles Vollmer 1897-1899
John Gebhardt 1901-1903
August Gerhart 1905-1907
Solomon Crum 1910-
TREASURERS
Year elected
John H. Morrison 1829-183 1
Samuel Myers 1833-1835
George Lauck 1837-1839
Samuel Myers 1841
George Lauck 1843-1845
Charles Hetich 1847-1849
Otto Fieldner '. 1851-1853
George Donnenwirth 1855-1857
John Kaler 1859-1861
Joseph Roop 1863-1865
John Franz* 1867-1869
John G. Birk 1871-1873
Christian H. Shonert 1875- 1.877
William Riblet 1879-1881
Christian H. Shonert 1883-1885
Frank Blicke 1887-1889
John Blyth 1891-1893
Michael Auck 1895-1897
William L. Alexander 1899-1901
George W. Miller 1903-1905
Daniel Kreiter 1908-1910
CLERKS
Year elected
David H. Beardsley^ 1826
3 Daniel Keplinger died from injuries received in a
runaway in 1869 and Worden was appointed to the
vacancy.
4 John Franz died while serving his second term,
and the commissioners appointed his son Job Franz,
who was his deputy at the time, to fill out the unex-
''ired term.
5 When courts were first organized here David H.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
139
Zalmon Rowse 1826-1831
Jabez B. Larwill 1841
Daniel W. Swigart 1848
Thomas J. Orr 1851-1854
Alexander P. Widman^ 1857-1860
John R. Clymer 1861-1864
Thomas Coughlin. 1867-1870
David C. Cahill 1873-1876
Alexander A. Ruhl 1879-1882
Lewis C. Donnenwirth 1885-1888
Aaron H. Laughbaum. 1891-1894
Wallace B. Forrest 1897-1900
L. D. Willford 1903-1906
J. E. Myers 1908-1910
RECORDERS
Year elected
Zalmon Rowse^ 1826-1833
Jacob Howenstein 1840-1843
James Robinson 1846-1849
Smith Todd 1851-1854
James Robinson 1857-
William C. Trimble 1860-1863
Frank M. Bowyer 1866-1869
William Stremmel 1872-1875
David O. Castle 1878-1881
William F. Crowe 1884-1887
Philip Schaefer 1S90-1893
H. S. Z. Matthias 1896-1899
Charles F. Matthew 1902-1905
Jay W. Holler 1908-1910
PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS
Year elected
Isaac H. Allen 1826-1827
George Sweney. . . 1829-183 1-1833-1835-1837
Franklin Adams* 1839-1841-1843
Lawrence W. Hall 1845-1847-1849
George Sweney 1841-
Abram Summers 1853-1855
Abner M. Jackson 1857-1859
Burr Morris 1861-1863
Beardsley, a Marion attorney was appointed, but dur-
ins; the first term the court appointed Zalmon Rowse.
It was an appointive office lasting seven years. Under
the Constitution of 1850, clerks became an elective office.
1 Widman died March 29, i860, and Clymer was
appointed to the vacancy, and in October elected to
the unexpired term.
2 Recorders were appointed until 1840. The term
was seven years.
3 Adams appointed vice Sweney; resigned — elected
to Congress.
Matthias Buchman* 1864
Nathan Jones 1865-1867
James W. Coulter 1869-1871
Seth G. Cummings 1873-1875
George M. Zeigler 1878
Anson Wickham 1881-1884
Isaac Cahill 1887-1890
P. W. Poole 1893-1896
Charles Gallinger 1899-1902
Carl H. Hinkel 1905-1908
William J. Schwenck 1910-
SURVEYORS
Year elected
John McClure 1826-
John Marshall 1828-
Thomas C. Sweney 1831-1834
William Fitzsimmons 1837-1840
Peter B. Beidler 1843
William McCoy 1845
Joseph Meer 1848
George M. Wiley 1851-1853
Horace Martin^ . . 1854-1855-1857-1859-1861
H. W. McDonald" .... 1863-1 865- 1867- 1869
James H. Robinson 1872-1875
Frank L. Plants'^ 1878
Harry L. Weber 1879- 1882- 1885
Horace E. Valentine 1888-1891
Herschel V. Flickinger 1894- 1897
Charles P. Bryant 1900-1903
Charles A. Guiss 1906-1908
S. P. Michaelis 1910
CORONERS
Year elected
Dr. Dunn 1826-
John Forbes 1836-1840
Robert Forbes 1844-1848
William Bair 1848-185 1
John Messner 185 1
William R. Shaw 1853-1855
Oscar W. Truman 1857-1859-1861
J. M. McEwenS 1864
James Worden 1866-1868
4 Buchman appointed to succeed Morris, resigned.
5 Wiley resignedto become Probate Judge; Martin
aopointed,
6 Horace Martin resigned on May i, 1863, and on
May 4. H. W. McDonald was appointed.
7 Frank L. Plants was annointed July 31, 1877;
elected in .October. 1877 : died Feb. 18, 1879, and Harry
L. Weber appointed April 19, 1879.
8 Truman resigned in December, 1862, and McEwen
was appointed.
140
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
Philip Mofifit 1870-1872-1874
Peter Bauer 1876- 1878- 1880
Philip Moffit 1881-
Jacob C. Housbergi 1882-1884
Dr. John A. Chesney^ 1885-1888
Dr. Elkanah A. Thoman 1890- 1892
Dr. Charles H. Noblet 1894-1896
Dr. Jerome Bland 1898-1900
Dr. C. A. Marquart 1902-1904
Dr. E. D. Helfrich 1906-1908
Dr. Charles A. Ulmer 1910
COMMISSIONERS
1824 — Enoch B. Merriman (Crawford and
Marion counties).
1825 — Zachariah Welsh (Crawford and
Marion counties).
1826 — Zalmon Rowse (Crawford and Ma-
rion counties).
McClure, John Magers
McClure, John Magers,
Ridgley, John Magers,
Ridgley, John Coleman,
Ridgley, John Coleman,
1826 — Thomas
George Poe.
1827 — Thomas
George Poe.
1828— Westell
George Poe.
1829 — Westell
James L. Harper.
1830 — Westell
James L. Harper.
183 1 — Isaac Sweney, John Coleman, James
L. Harper.
1832 — Isaac Sweney, William Early, James
L. Harper.
1833 — Isaac Sweney, Daniel Williams,
James L. Harper.
1834 — ^David Ellis, Daniel Williams, James
L. Harper.
1835 — David Ellis, William Robinson,^ Ja-
cob MoUenkopf.
1836 — David Ellis, William Robinson, Ja-
cob MoUenkopf.
1837 — David Ellis, William Robinson, Ja-
cob MoUenkopf.
1838 — David Ellis, William Robinson, Ja-
cob MoUenkopf.
1839 — David Ellis, John Clements, Jacob
MoUenkopf.
1 Moffit resigned in April, 1881, and Housberg was
appointed.
2 Housberg resigned in 1885 and Chesney was ap-
pointed.
3 Robinson appointed to succeed Williams, re-
signed.
1840 — Hamilton Kerr, John Clements, Jacob
MoUenkopf.
1 84 1 — Hamilton Kerr, John Clements, Jacob
MoUenkopf.
1842 — Hamilton Kerr, John Clements, Jacob
MoUenkopf.
1843 — Hamilton Kerr, John Clements, Jacob
MoUenkopf.
1844^-Hamilton Kerr, John Clements, Sam-
uel Lee.
1845— George Dickson,* Peter Conkle, Sam-
uel Lee.
1846 — Phares Jackson, Peter Conkle, Sam-
uel Lee.
1847 — Phares Jackson, Peter Conkle, Sid-
ney Holt.
1848 — Phares Jackson, Peter Conkle, Sid-
ney Holt.
1849 — Phares Jackson, Peter Conkle, Sid-
ney Holt.
1850 — Phares Jackson, Peter Conkle, Sid-
ney Holt.
1 85 1 — Phares Jackson, J. N. Frye, Sidney
Holt.
1852 — Samuel Swisher, J. N. Frye, Sidney
Holt.
1853 — Samuel Swisher, James Clemens,'
Wilson Stewart.
1854 — Samuel Swisher, James Clements,
Wilson Stewart.
1855 — Samuel Swisher, James Clements,
Wilson Stewart.
1856 — Samuel Swisher, James Clements,
Wilson Stewart.
1857 — Andrew Dickson,® Isaac Van Voor-
his, Wilson Stewart.
1858 — Andrew Dickson, Isaac Van Voor-
his, Wilson Stewart.
1859 — Andrew Dickson, Isaac Van Voor-
his, Charles Keplinger.
i860 — Andrew Dickson, Isaac Van Voor-
his, Charles Keplinger.
1 86 1 — Hugh Cory, Isaac Van Voorhis,
Charles Keplinger.
1862 — Hugh Cory, Isaac Van Voorhis,
Charles Keplinger.
1863 — Hugh Cory, John Burgbacher,
Charles Keplinger.
1864 — Hugh Cory, John Burgbacher,
Charles Keplinger.
4 Dickson appointed to succeed Kerr, resigned.
5 Clements appointed to succeed Frye, deceased.
6 Dickson appointed to succeed Swisher, resigned.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
141
1865 — Hugh Cory, John Burgbacher, Lewis
Littler.
1866 — ^Hugh Cory, John Burgbacher, Lewis
Littler.
1867 — Barber Robinson, John Burgbacher,
Lewis Littler.
1868 — Barber Robinson, John Burgbacher,
Lewis Littler.
1869 — Barber Robinson, James Hufty,
Lewis Littler.
1870 — Charles Myers, James Hufty, Lewis
Littler.
1871 — Charles Myers, James Hufty, J. J.
Bauer.
1872 — Charles Myers, James Hufty, J. J.
Bauer.
1873 — Charles Myers, James Hufty, J. J.
Bauer.
1874 — Charles Myers, James Hufty, J. J.
Bauer.
1875 — Charles Myers, Charles Keplinger,
J. J. Bauer.
1876 — Lysander Waller, Charles Keplinger,
J. J. Bauer.
1877 — Lysander Waller, Charles Keplinger,
John Neuman.
1878 — Lysander Waller, Charles Keplinger,
John Neuman.
1879 — Lysander Waller, Charles Keplinger,
John Neuman.
1880 — Lysander Waller, Charles Keplinger,
John Neuman.
1 881 — Lysander Waller, Jacob Burkley,
John Neuman.
1882 — John Richardson, Jacob Burkley,
Charles Keplinger.*
1883 — ^John Richardson, Jacob Burkley,
Peter Bauer.
1884 — John Richardson, Jacob Burkley,
Peter Bauer.
1885 — John Richardson, Jacob Burkley,
Peter Bauer.
1886 — John Richardson, Jacob Burkley,
Peter Bauer.
1887 — ^John Richardson, Henry Dapper,
Peter Bauer.
1888 — John Parcher, Henry Dapper, Peter
Bauer.
1889 — ^John Parcher, Henry Dapper, Lewis
Gearhart.
* Keplinger appointed to succeed Neuman, de-
ceased.
1890 — John Parcher, Henry Dapper, Lewis
Gearhart.
1 89 1 — John Parcher, Henry Dapper, Lewis
Gearhart.
1892 — John Parcher, Henry Drapper,
Lewis Gearhart.
1893 — John Parcher, Christian F. Kiess,
Lewis Gearhart.
1894 — L. H. Battefeld, Christian F. Kiess,
Lewis Gearhart.
1895 — L. H. Battefeld, Christian F. Kiess,
Albe Moe.
1896 — L. H. Battefeld, Christian F. Kiess,
Albe Moe.
1897 — L. H. Battefeld, Christian F. Kiess,
Albe Moe.
1898 — L. H. Battefeld, Christian F. Kiess,
Albe Moe.
1899 — L. H. Battefeld, Samuel Easterday,
Albe Moe.
1900 — Henry N. Oberlander, Samuel
Easterday, Albe Moe.
1901 — Henry N. Oberlander, Samuel
Easterday, J. H. Petri.
1902 — Henry N. Oberlander, Samuel
Easterday, J. H. Petri.
1903 — Henry N. Oberlander, Samuel
Easterday, J. H. Petri.
1904 — Henry N. Oberlander, Samuel
Easterday, J. H. Petri.
1905 — Henry N. Oberlander, Frank P.
Dick, J. H. Petri.
1906 — Hugh M. Dobbins, Frank P. Dick,
J. H. Petri.
1908 — Hugh M. Dobbins, Frank P. Dick,
Henry E. Bormuth.
1910 — Fred Leonhart, A. A. Crawford,
Henry E. Bormuth.
INFIRMARY DIRECTORS
-Jarvice Jump, John AUoback, John
A. Klink.
1869 — Jarvice Jump, John Alloback, John
A. Klink.
1870 — Jarvice Jump, John Alloback, John
A. Klink.
1 87 1 — Jarvice lump, John Alloback, John
A. Klink.
1872 — Jacob Easterday, John Alloback,
John A. Klink.
142
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
1873 — Jacob Easterday, Samuel Rorick,
John A. Klink.
J 874 — Jacob Easterday, Samuel Rorick,
Frederick G. Linser.*
1875 — John Miller, Samuel Rorick, Joseph
Meer.
1876 — ^John Miller, Samuel Rorick, Joseph
Meer.
1877 — John Miller, Samuel Rorick, Joseph
Meer.
1878 — ^John Miller, Samuel Rorick, Joseph
Meer.
1879 — John Miller, Samuel Disc, Joseph
Meer.
1880 — John Miller, Samuel Dise, Joseph
Meer.
1881 — Christopher F. Kiess, Samuel Dise,
Joseph Meer.
1882 — Christopher F. Kiess, Samuel Dise,
Joseph Meer.
1883 — Christopher F. Kiess, Samuel Dise,
Albert Sheibly.
1884 — Christopher F. Kiess, Samuel Dise,
Albert Sheibly.
1885 — Christopher F. Kiess, William Zim-
merman, Albert Sheibly.
1886— Christopher F. Kiess, William Zim-
merman, Albert Sheibly.
1887— Benjamin Sherer, William Zimmer-
man, Albert Sheibly.
1888 — Benjamin Sherer, William Zimmer-
man, Albert Sheibly.
1889 — Benjamin Sherer, William Zimmer-
man, C. F. Meek.
1890 — Benjamin Sherer, William Zimmer-
man, C. F. Meek.
*Frederick Linser died in office, and Joseph Meer
v.ras elected to fill the vacancy.
1 89 1 — Benjamin Sherer, David Hurr, C. F.
Meek.
1892 — Benjamin Sherer, David Hurr, C. F.
Meek.
1893 — Adam Fike, David Hurr,.C. F. Meek.
1894 — ^Adam Fike, David Hurr, C. F. Meek.
1895 — Adam Fike, David Hurr, Philip
Fabian.
1896 — Adam Fike, David Hurr, Philip
Fabian.
1897 — Adam Fike, J. K. Zerbe, Philip
Fabian.
1898— Adam Fike, J. K. Zerbe, Philip
Fabian.
1899 — ^John Meyer, J. K. Zerbe, Philip
Fabian.
1900 — ^John Meyer, J. K. Zerbe, Philip
Fabian.
1901 — John Meyer, J. K. Zerbe, Emanuel
Heinlen.
1902 — S. W. Nungesser, J. K. Zerbe,
Emanuel Heinlen.
1903 — S. W. Nungesser, Henry Beibig-
hauser, Emanuel Heinlen.
1904 — S. W. Nungesser, Henry Beibig-
hauser, Emanuel Heinlen.
1905— Charles Meyer, Henry Beibighauser,
Emanuel Heinlen.
1906 — Charles Meyer, Henry Beibighauser,
Emanuel Heinlen.
1908 — Charles Meyer, Isaac Laughbaum,
A. M. Vore.
1910 — Charles Meyer, t Isaac Laughbaum,
A. M. Vore.
tin 1912 John Meyer was appointed to succeed his
brother Charles, who resigned on account of ill health,
and died soon after his resignation.
After this year the Board of Infirmary Directors is
abolished, their business being transferred to the
County Commissioners.
CHAPTER VII
TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES
Indian Trails and Water Routes — Swamps — Portages — Indian Village of Seccaium — Route Fol-
lowed by Gen. Bradstreet — Capf. James Smith's Travels; His Description of Water
Routes and Portages — The First Road in Crawford County — Geographical Notes by Seth
Holmes and James Nail — Military Roads — Biased Trails — "Corduroy" or Log Roads —
The State Road or Sandusky Pike — Zalmon Rowse's Work as Commissioner — Proceed-
ings of Other Commissioners — Columbus & Sandusky Turnpike Co. — Rate of Toll —
Transportation of Mail — Activity of Col. Kilbourne — Cost of the Sandusky Pike — Rev.
Mr. Reid's Description of this Road — Its C ommercial Use and Value — Difficulties of
Spring Travel — Litigation — Stage Lines — Bill of Cost of the Old Portland Road — First
Attempt at Improved Roads — Vote by Townships — Railroads; Early Plans and Charters
— The Railroads of the County; Their Origin, Construction and Cost — Railroad Excur-
sion to Bucyrus in i8js — The "John Bull" Locomotive Passes Through Bucyrus, i8ps —
Electric Roads — Amount of Trackage in Crawford County, with Values, by Townships.
Singing througii the forests,
Rattling over ridges;
Shooting under arches,
Rumbling over bridges ;
Whizzing through the mountains.
Buzzing o'er the vale, —
Bless me! this is pleasant.
Riding on the rail !
— ^JoHN G Saxe.
One of the first difficulties with which the
pioneer settlers had to contend was the lack of
roads. But even before the first white man
passed through this region, what is now Craw-
ford county had been an important highway
for travel ; and along its streams, and through
its forests, and across its plains, were the well
used routes or trails of the Indians. In Craw-
ford county are streams that run north to the
lake and south to the Ohio. Southwest of
Bucyrus, the Sandusky and the Little Scioto
rivers, both flowing in a southwesterly direc-
tion, are only from two to three miles apart,
and when they leave the county the former
bends to the north, and proceeds on its way
to Lake Erie, its waters passing over Niagara,
and down the St. Lawrence to the Atlantic,
while the latter joins the Scioto proper, and
continues on its way through the Ohio and
Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. In the
southeastern part of the county is the Whet-
stone, which also joins the Scioto and contin-
ues its flow to the Gulf. Between the San-
dusky and the Little Scioto and the Whet-
stone, in the townships of Dallas, Bucyrus,
Whetstone, Jefferson, Polk and Jackson, are
houses and barns on this watershed where the
waters from one side of the roof find their
way to the Atlantic, and on the other to the
Gulf of Mexico. Even as today Crawford
county is one of the great railroad centres, so
in the years long gone this section was one of
the great centers of travel. Not alone by
land, but by water, for many a stream in this
county, now nothing more than a county ditch
or a city sewer, was in use by the early sav-
ages as a route for transportation and for
travel. Along the Sandusky river in Dallas,
Bucyrus, Liberty and Sandusky townships,
were mills run by water-power over 80 years
ago, and along the Whetstone, both above as
well as below Gallon, that little stream was
lined by four mills; along the Honey Creek
and Cokyendall run in Auburn were mills;
the Brokensword and the Sycamore had suffi-
cient water to furnish the power for the run-
ning of mills. Where Adrian had his mill on
the bank of the Whetstone above Gabon, the
stream now only needs a small culvert for its
143
144
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
passage under the railroad track. At Crest-
line, Judge Daniel Babst, whose father settled
there in 1852, remembers, when a boy, Elisha
Allen, who lived near Leesville, coming to the
village on one of the branches of the San-
dusky in a canoe to do his marketing, return-
ing home in the evening. At Bucyrus, when
Abraham Hahn, in 1838, built his mill-race to
run his saw-mill, that mill was located on the
lot now occupied by Edwin G. Beal, at the
northwest corner of Warren and Poplar
streets. At the rear of the lot was the little
stream on which the mill was located, and now
all that remains of this stream on which a
mill once stood, is a covered sewer. In the
old Indian days the Little Scioto had suffi-
cient water for canoes as far up as Dallas and
probably as far as the southern part of
Bucyrus township. The Whetstone was a nav-
igable stream for small boats, and in the
region of Seccaium Park little streams en-
tered into it from the north, which had their
rise in swamps, and from these same swamps
other little streams flowed to the north and
emptied into the Sandusky.
Along these creeks the land was all so low
and swampy that for years it was not con-
sidered by the first settlers in their entries of
land. In the map of the county published in
i860, in the eastern half of section 14 in
Whetstone township, one of these swamps
was so pronounced as to be marked on the map
as a small lake. Hon. S. R. Harris stated that
when he came here in 1849, and for years
afterward, in his hunting expeditions he found
enough water in. the spring of the year cover-
ing this region to enable one to cross from the
Whetstone to the Sandusky by water. In 1777
a pamphlet was published in French by Joel
Barlow, describing the Northwest Territory.
In that pamphlet he says : "The Scioto river
furnishes a navigation much more consider-
able than that of the Hocking and the Musk-
ingum. For an extent of 200 miles large ves-
sels can navigate it. Then there is a passage
to be made by land of four miles only to the
Sandusky, a river also easily navigable, which
empties into Lake Erie. This route is one
of the most considerable and most frequented
found in any country." John Henry James
translated this work into English, and in his
noles he says :
"The statement as to the Scioto being nav-
igable for large vessels for two hundred miles
above its mouth, and its navigable head waters
being within four miles of those of the San-
dusky, appears so extravagant as to be at-
tributable either to gross ignorance of the coun-
try or a deliberate purpose to deceive. We
are satisfied there was no intention to deceive
on the part of the author, though he had very
imperfect knowledge of the country. And yet
this and other waterways and portages were
regarded as of such importance at the time as
to warrant the insertion in the Ordinance of
1787 of the provision: "The navigable waters
leading into the Mississippi and the St. Law-
rence, and the carrying places between the
same, shall be common highways, and forever
free as well to the inhabitants of the said ter-
ritory as to the citizens of the United States
and those of any other States that may be ad-
mitted into the confederacy, without any tax,
impost, or duty therefor."
These water routes and portages connecting
the Great Lakes with the Mississippi were first
discovered (leaving the Indians out of consid-
eration) by the early French explorers and
were used by their missionaries, soldiers and
traders. Marquette's route was up the St.
Lawrence, through Lakes Ontario, Erie and
Huron to Lake Michigan, then up the Fox
river, with a portage across to the Wisconsin
river and down that to the Mississippi. This
was afterward shortened by leaving Lake
Michigan at Chicago, then up the Chicago
river, portage across to the Illinois and down
that river to the Mississippi. The next short-
ening was up the Maumee at Toledo, by port-
age to the Wabash and down that river to the
Ohio.
Who made the first trip between the San-
dusky and the Scioto it is impossible to say.
In 1670 La Salle went up the St. Lawrence
to Lake Erie, went up some stream, portaged
across to another, and down this stream, dis-
covering the Ohio river. It is almost certain
that this first trip of La Salle — when he dis-
covered the Ohio — was across to the head-
waters of the Alleghany and down that river to
the Ohio at Pittsburg, which river he followed
to Louisville. For twenty years La Salle de-
voted his entire time to explorations of the
Northwest territory, as it was the desire of the
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
145
French to diacover the best and shortest water
route from the Lakes to the Mississippi. There
were several portages in Ohio, the principal
ones being from the Sandusky to the headwa-
ters of the Scioto and from the Cuyahoga to
the headwaters of the Muskingum, and it is
probable that in one of his trips La Salle came
up the Sandusky river, crossed by portage to
the Scioto, and down that river to the Ohio,
which would mean that the first known white
man to set foot on Crawford county soil was
Rene Robert Cavalier, the Sieur de la Salle,
between 1670 and 1680.
Hon. E. B. Finley, who made considerable
research in order to locate an ancient Indian
village called Seccaium, gives the following on
this subject in an address by him at the ded-
ication of the monument that marks the site of
the Battle of the Olentangy, five miles south-
east of Bucyrus on the Gallon road :
"In addition to this beautiful monument
marking the battlefield of June 6, 1782, where
the retreating army of Crawford battled with
the British and Indian forces, it also marks the
almost forgotten site of a village renowned in
the traditions and legends of a departed race.
Within a few rods from this spot once stood
the village of Seccaium, celebrated in ancient
legends and song as one of the famous places
of Indian history. For hundreds and hun-
dreds of years, before the white man set foot
on this continent, the Sandusky, Olentangy
and Scioto rivers formed a great water thor-
oughfare, over which Indian commerce was
carried to and fro between the north and south.
Over this route Indian war parties from the
Lake regions swept down upon their enemies
in the south, and over this same route ofttimes
came the wild Catawbas, Natches, and other
southern tribes, in fierce retaliation. From the
time when the French first occupied Canada
until the opening up and settlement of the
United States, this same route continued to be
the thoroughfare of traffic and travel, not only
by the Indians but by the French traders.
Coming anywhere from Canada or the north or
northwest, the canoe of the Indian or trader
entering the mouth of the Sandusky river was
paddled up the waters until arriving at the
bend northeast from this point, the canoemen
transported their boats and goods from thence
across this point to yonder bend of the
Olentangy (or Whetstone as it is now called),
and then launching their- light craft in the
Olentangy, paddled down to the Scioto, enter-
ing which they traveled down to the Ohio, and
into the Mississippi, being thus enabled to
travel by water from the great lake of the north
to the Gulf of Mexico, with a land portage
across the point near where we now stand of
only about four miles. Near the landing place
on the Olentangy, within a few rods of this
monument, stood the once great village of
Seccaium, famous for centuries as the great
mart of Indian commerce; it was the common
ground where all the tribes of the north and
the south met and exchanged their peltries and
wares. Here it was that the great treaties, con-
claves and powwows of the Indian nations were
held. When it first was built no one knows.
It was visited by white men as early as 1650,
and at that day even Indian tradition could
not give the age.
"A Frenchman, who passed over this route
in 1750, thus writes of it : 'The Scioto is almost
as wide as the Ohio, and runs through fertile
bottoms or plains, which commence a few miles
above the river Huskinkas, and extend almost
to Seccaium. The Olentangy is navigable for
boats as far as the famous village of Seccaium.
It is at this village that the great portage to
the Sandusky river begins, which is but four
miles.' The village stood here in 1669 when
it was visited by Robert Cavalier, Soeur de la
Salle, the famous discoverer of the mouth of
the Mississippi, and all the west territory bor-
dering upon that river. La Salle, in com-
pany with DoUier de Casson and Galinee, aCnd
his Indian guides and companions, passed by
water from Montreal to the mouth of the
Sandusky river, thence up the Sandusky and
over the portage to this point, where he visited
the famous village of Seccaium, remaining
several days ; thence passing down the Olen-
tangy and the Scioto to the Ohio, where at the
mouth of the Scioto he planted copper plates
bearing the image of the King of France, and
then formally took possession of all the coun-
try in the name of his King. From the mouth
of the Scioto he traveled down the Ohio to the
Falls of the Ohio, where Louisville now stands,
there planting other copper plates, and likewise
taking possession of the country in the name
of the King of France."
146
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
It is certain the Sandusky-Scioto portage
was an important one and much traveled, as
the French erected a fort and established a
trading-post on the Ohio just below the mouth
of the Scioto in 1740. Along the Lakes the
Wyandots were the allies of the French, yet in
view of the anticipated coming struggle be-
tween France and England for the Northwest
Territory, the French in 1750 erected a fort
on the west bank of the Sandusky to guard its
mouth, and in 1754 about six miles up the
river erected Fort Junandat on the east bank.
This guarding of the mouths of both rivers
shows conclusively it was the principal route
from the Lake to the Ohio. They built no fort
at the mouth of the Cuyahoga or the Mus-
kingum. It was the only fort-guarded route in
Ohio between the lake and the river.
The location of the old Indian town of Sec-
caium is placed by Mr. Finley on the banks of
the Whetstone, southwest of what is now Sec-
caium Park, believed to be at this point from
the fact that besides arrow-heads found there
in large numbers, the ground was at one time
covered with chipped flint covering over an
acre. It was a flint stone found nowhere in
this region, and such was the profusion of the
chippings of flint that they could only have
been caused by the manufacture of arrow-
heads there on a very large scale. But the
town there must certainly have been abandoned
or destroyed more than two centuries ago.
There could have been no Indian village there
during the Revolutionary war, as when Craw-
ford's expedition passed within a mile of this
site in 1782 neither Stover nor Zane, Craw-
ford's guides, gave any intimation of any such
village and both had been through this section
many years previous.
In 1764, Gen. Bradstreet, "after raising the
siege at Detroit, and dispersing the Indians,
sailed across Lake Erie and into Sandusky Bay
and up the Sandusky river as far as it was nav-
igable for Indian canoes," there established
himself and demanded a council with the In-
dian chiefs, who had offered but little opposi-
tion to his progress. The council was held,
and the Wyandots, with their subordinate de-
pendents entered into a treaty of peace. This
council was probably at the Wyandot village
that then existed on the Sandusky, three miles
southeast of the present town of Upper San-
dusky.
Col. James Smith, when a young man, was
a captive among the Indians from 1755 to
1759, and traversed this region, and from his
interesting account of his experiences valuable
information is learned as to the location of this
portage. With his adopted Indian brother,
Tontileaugo, he had been hunting in what is
now Ottawa county, and they decided to go
up the Sandusky to the prairies on a hunting
expedition. In his narrative, Smith says:
"When we came to the falls of the Sandusky,
we buried our birch bark canoes as usual, at a
large burying place for that purpose, a little
below the falls. At this place the river falls
about eight feet over a rock, but not perpen-
dicular. With much difficulty we pushed up
our wooden canoes, some of us went up the
river, and the rest by land with the horses, un-
til we came to the great meadows or prairies
that lie between Sandusky and Scioto." Here
they had what was known as a ring hunt,
setting fire to the grass in a large circle, thus
driving the game to a common centre, where
it was easily killed. They fired the grass
when the sky had every appearance of rain,
but the expected rain failed to fall, so the fire
spread, and "extended through the whole
prairie, which was about fifty miles in length
and in some places near twenty in breadth."
He then says: "We then moved from the
north end of the glades and encamped at the
carrying place. This place is in the plains be-
twixt a creek that empties into Sandusky, and
one that runs into Scioto; and at the time of
high water, or in the spring season, there is
but about one-half mile of portage, and that
very level, and clear of rocks, timber or
stones ; so that with a little digging there may
be water carriage the whole way from Scioto
to Lake Erie."
The general opinion is that this portage or
carrying place was at least sixteen miles south-
west of Bucyrus in Marion county, and was be-
tween the Little Sandusky and the Little Sci-
oto, the latter stream having its start near
Bucyrus. However, William M. Darlington,
of Pittsburg, who edited Smith's narrative,
and made the most thorough research possible,
has a number of notes and among them the
following :
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
147
( 1 ) " 'By the Sandusky, Scioto and Ohio
rivers lay the route of the Indians of Detroit
and Lake Huron when going to war with the
Catawabas and other southern tribes. "They
ascend the Sandusquet river two or three days,
after which they make a small portage, a fine
road of about a quarter of a league. Some
make canoes of elm bark and float down a
small river (the Scioto) that empties into the
Ohio." — Memoir of Vaudreuil, Governor of
Canada, to the Council of Marine, from Que-
bec, Oct. 30, 1 7 18. Paris Documents, New
York Col. Hist., vol. ix, page 168; Pownall's
Top. Disc, of North America, page 42 and
map.' "
(2) " 'Through these rivers lies the most
common pass from Canada to the Ohio and
Mississippi." — Morse's Am. Gazetteer of 1798,
page 497; Kilbourne's Ohio Gazetteer for
1817, page 60; Carey's Atlas for 1812."
(3) " 'This once important portage ex-
tended from the site of Garrett's mill, near the
village of Wyandot, on the Sandusky river, in
Wyandot county, thence south, about four
miles, on a ridge, through part of Dallas town-
ship in Crawford county, to the north branch
of the Little Scioto, near Swinnerton, on the
Old Fort Ball and Columbus Road, in Grand
Prairie township, Marion county. The length
of the portage varied according to the stage of
the water. It was known as the Four Mile
Cross. In high water the north branch of .the
Little Scioto could be navigated by canoes to
a point about a mile distant from Garrett's
mill, on the Sandusky. A cut has been made
through the ridge about half a mile east from
the village of Wyandot, by which the waters of
both streams are' united." ( Notes to the writer
from S. R. Harris, Esq., of Bucyrus, and Wm.
Brown, Esq., of Springfield.) Mr. Brown set-
tled near Wyandot in 1826, and surveyed the
Wyandot Indian Reservation for the U. S.
Government.' "
Besides these water routes the Indians had
trails crossing the county in many directions.
The main trail from the Lake to the Ohio
river passed through Crawford county. Hul-
bert, in his "Red Men's Roads," calls it the
"Scioto trail," also the "Sandusky and Rich-
mond Trail." It started on the Sandusky bay,
going almost due south to Delaware, then
keeping within a few miles of the Scioto until
it reached the Ohio below Portsmouth. Hul-
bert refers to this route as "one of the greatest
war paths in the west, leading southward into
Warrior's Path, to land of the Cherokees and
Catawbas." This trail had a branch at Lower
Shawnee town,* that crossed the present coun-
ties of Hocking, Vinton and Meigs to the Ohio
river, and then up the Kanawha to Richmond,
Va. Of this trail Hulbert says: "Important
fur route between Virginia and the Lake coun-
try; also most direct route to Central Ohio
from southern seaboard colonies." This trail
which passed through Crawford, and the
"Great Trail" were the main thoroughfares of
the Indians. The "Great Trail" was from
Pittsburg to Detroit; it did not pass through
Crawford, but through Richland and Huron
counties. Just east of Crawford county a
branch of this trail bore to the west to the old
Indian town of Upper Sandusky, three miles
southwest of the present Upper Sandusky,
crossing the Sandusky river near Bucyrus;
another branch was through Crestline and
Galion, across Bucyrus township, and follow-
ing east of the river to Little Sandusky. An-
other important trail was the route from the
Tuscarawas Moravian villages to the Indian
village near Upper Sandusky. It entered the
county near the southeastern corner of Whet-
stone township, bore northwesterly through
Whetstone and Bucyrus townships, and
crossed the Sandusky south of the Mt. Zion
church. This was the route taken by the Mo-
ravian Indian in 1781 and 1782. There were
important Indian villages near Greentown and
what is now Jeromeville in Ashland county.
Trails connected both these Indian villages
with the various Indian villages on the San-
dusky. One of these trails, crossing Jackson,
Jefferson, Whetstone, Bucyrus and Dallas was
probably the route followed through this
county by the army of Col. Crawford in 1782,
both going and returning. There were many
minor trails in this county, used by the In-
dians in going to and from their various
camps and hunting grounds; especially is this
true of several trails to the cranberry marshes
in Chatfield and Cranberry townships. Traces
of these trails are shown by the surveyor's
notes of nearly a hundred years ago. The sur-
*Circleville.
148
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
veyor, in 1819, did not find a continuous trail,
as parts of them were obliterated even then,
but he found sufficient markings so that the
old Indian trails can be traced with a fair de-
gree of accuracy.
The location of these trails are not of spe-
cial importance, but it was along them that
the first pioneers came to the county; it was
also along them that the first roads were laid
out, for every Indian trail follows from one
place to another over the highest and best
ground. These children of nature, with no
education, had a trail from the east to the west,
and this same trail through Richland, Craw-
ford and Wyandot counties, a hundred years
later was selected by the engineers as the road
bed for the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The first made road in the county was the
one crudely cut through the woods by the sol-
diers in 1812. A map of Ohio, published in
181 5, gives this road as leaving Richland
county to enter the Indian reservation, which
Crawford county then was, north of the pres-
ent town of Leesville going a trifle north of
west for three miles, then straight west to Up-
per Sandusky. When this map was made the
entire country west of the Richland county
line had never been surveyed, and the map
shows that when the designer reached the un-
surveyed Indian reservation, he must have
taken a ruler and drawn an air line from the
western boundary of Richland county to Upper
Sandusky. This line would pass along the
present northern line of the city of Bucyrus.
The map, however, is conclusive proof that the
military road did exist through this county, al-
though west of Bucyrus, neither to the north
nor to the south can any trace be found of a
road ever having been cut through the woods
wide enough for teams to pass.
On the other hand, Seth Holmes, who
piloted Norton here in 1819, was a teamster in
the War of 181 2, and was with the supply train
which went through Crawford county from
Mansfield to Harrison's headquarters at Upper
Sandusky, and he stated that when he was on
his way through this county with that supply
train they camped one night near what is now
the crossing of the Pennsylvania road and East
Mansfield street. The probable camping site
was about where the brewery now stands, as
at that time the river was then at the base of
the blufif. In 1819 James Nail entered his land"
about two miles north of Gallon and two miles
south of Leesville. In his letter in "The Craw-
ford County Forum" in 1868, he writes of tak-
ing a trip with two neighbors to find where the
Indians got their cranberries. He says: "We
took our horses and started in a southwesterly
direction until we struck the Pennsylvania
army road, then followed the route, which we
could clearly distinguish. After passing along
said route for several miles we thought we were
not getting far enough to the north, and, there-
fore, turning further north, struck the San-
dusky river east of Bucyrus." *
At the river they found Daniel McMichael
clearing his land; this land was on the south
bank of the Sandusky river, one mile northeast
of the eastern boundary of Bucyrus township.
H. W. McDonald, who made a thorough sur-
vey of the county in the sixties, found several
markings of this road in the northern part of
Polk township, which is a confirmation of the
recollections of Nail. It should also be re-
membered that when Norton first arrived in
this section he stopped near Gallon, and would
have entered land there, but Holmes assured
him he knew of a much better site a little far-
ther on, and it was through the statements of
Holmes that Norton and Bucklin left their
families and followed Holmes until he piloted
them to the site he remembered, which was
where Bucyrus now is. The pioneer recollec-
tions are that this road must have been through
the northern part of Polk township, and to
Bucyrus over the high ground between the
present Gallon road and the Pennsylvania
track, crossing the Sandusky near the West
Mansfield street bridge, crossing the Pennsyl-
vania road near the Oceola road crossing, then
northwest, south of the Oceola road, and
crossing the Brokensword southwest of Oceola,
and then to Upper Sandusky.
Polk township pioneers also report a military
road through the southern part of that town-
ship, markings of which still remain. This is
also probably correct. When Harrison made
Upper Sandusky his headc[uarters in 1812, and
built Fort Ferree, many troops assembled
there. At one time the entire militia of the
State were hurriedly ordered to report at that
* This trip of Nail was in 1820.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
149
point, and many of the troops from eastern
and southeastern Ohio passed through Craw-
ford county, some striking the Pennsylvania
army road, and others following the Indian
trail along the Whetstone, and to Little San-
dusky. Many of these so-called military roads
were routes taken by these troops responding
in a hurry, and traveling on horseback, car-
rying their arms and provisions and supplies,
and no army train with them. Practically all
supplies that were gathered at Upper Sandusky
came up the river from the Lake, or by the
road Harrison had cut through the woods
from Franklinton (Columbus) to Upper San-
dusky. General Harrison makes frequent
complaints of the difficulties and expense of
getting his supplies over this road from Co-
lumbus.
After the eastern part of the county was
surveyed, in 1807, a number of years passed
before bonafide settlers began occupying the
land, but by 1818 there was a fair sprinkling
of pioneers in the eastern part of the county.
They had blazed trails through the woods to
their nearest neighbors, but about 1818 the pi-
oneers themselves cut down trees, laid the
trunks over the worst of the swampy ground,
and had a road running from the settlements
around Galion through what is now Middle-
town, Leesville and West Liberty, and north to
the Huron river, by which they could secure an
outlet to Huron on Lake Erie. This was the
first road in the county. A year or two later
the pioneers of Bucyrus, Liberty and Sandusky,
to get an outlet to the same market, made a
road northeast from Bucyrus, following what
is now the Sulphur Springs road, and when
near that village, turning east, south of the
present road, passing half a mile north of the
present village of Tiro, and connecting with
that first road built by the early pioneers. An-
other early road made by the pioneers was one
from Galion to Bucyrus.
The first road in Crawford county of which
there is official record was established by the
county commissioners at Delaware in 1822,
"from the southeast corner of Section 13, now
a part of Sandusky township, to Bucyrus ; total
length nine miles and 276 rods. John Marshall
surveyor and Michael Beadle, Joseph Young
and David Palmer viewers." This road gave
Bucyrus better connection with the road in the
eastern part of the county, and indicates that
the important markets at that time were New
Haven, Milan and Huron. The same year a
state road was authorized from Norton in
Delaware county, north through Bucyrus and
on to Sandusky, on the Lake. James Kil-
bourne was the surveyor. Solomon Smith and
Luther Coe the commissioners. Nothing was
done with this road until later, when it became
the Sandusky Pike.
In 1824 Crawford was transferred from the
jurisdiction of Delaware to that of Marion
county, and Crawford was given a commis-
sioner in the person of E. B. Merriman. On
June 8, 1824, a road was established "begin-
ning at the east line of Crawford county, at
crossing of road leading from Wooster to
Upper Sandusky, thence on nearest and best
ground to Bucyrus, making Daniel McMi-
chael's mill a point on said road." This
passed through southern Liberty township
north of the river, crossing the Sandusky at
the present water works reservoir, McMi-
chael's mill being on the south bank of the
river, west of the present road. "Nearest and
best ground" has given way to straight roads
and right angles, so much of this road has
been straightened. The viewers to establish
this road were Joseph Young and Abel Carey.
Another road in 1824 was the present Little
Sandusky road with Lewis Carey, Daniel
Fickle and Samuel Norton as the viewers.
The road from Norton to Portland (San-
dusky) was taken up in 1824, and Heman
Rowse, Nathaniel Plummer, Benjamin Parcher
and John McClure were appointed viewers.
The road from Bucyrus to Mansfield was laid
out, James Cassaday being the surveyor and
Amos Utley, and James Perfect the viewers.
The first alteration of a road is recorded in
1824. It was of "a road leading from Friends-
borough to Benjamin Sharrock's." They were
instructed to "lay it out on old boundary line
from Friendsborough until it intersects the
State road leading from Mt. Vernon to Upper
Sandusky."
In 1825 Zalmon Rowse was Crawford
county's commissioner. The first road he intro-
duced was what is now the road from Cale-
donia to Bucyrus. Another was what later be-
came the Mt. Vernon road through Whet-
stone township, and near New Winchester it
150
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
was to go through "the long swamp." An-
other road was the present Marion road from
Marion to Bucyrus.
In 1826 Crawford county was organized,
and the early sessions of the commissioners
were mainly given to the laying out of new
roads and the straightening of old ones. All
the records of the commissioners prior to 183 1
were destroyed by fire, but the first meeting of
which there is any report relates to roads :
"Proceedings of the Commissioners of Crawford
County, begun and held in the town of Bucyrus, on
the 17th and i8th day of October, 1831.
"Be it resolved, that James McCracken, Esq., is
hereby appointed a commissioner (in the room of R. W.
Cahill, Esq., resigned), to lay out a certain state road,
commencing at the town of Perrysburg in Wood county,
thence to McCutchenville, thence to Bucyrus, in Craw-
ford county."
This was the present Oceola road.
As early as 1808 a road had been constructed
from Franklinton (Columbus) through Dela-
ware to Norton, a town on the border line of
Delaware and Marion counties, within two
miles of the Greenville treaty line, all north of
this line being Indian reservation. In 1820 the
two miles to the Greenville treaty line were laid
out. On February 4, 1822, the General As-
sembly passed an act establishing a State road,
"commencing at Norton, in Delaware county,
thence to the city of Sandusky" by the nearest
and best route, and Hector Kilbourne and Ly-
man Farwell were appointed commissioners
with instructions to report to the county com-
missioners of Delaware county. Previous to
this, on June 7, 1821, the Delaware commis-
sioners had established a county road from
Norton "as far north as the Indian camps on
the road leading from Mt. Vernon to Upper
Sandusky."
In 1826 an act was passed by the Legislature
incorporating the Columbus and Sandusky
Turnpike Company. The capital stock was
$100,000, divided into one thousand shares of
$100 each, two of the incorporators being
Judge E. B. Merriman and Col. Zalmon Rowse
of Bucyrus. The road was to be a "good, se-
cure and substantial road of stone, gravel, tim-
ber or other material." They were authorized
to collect as toll for each ten miles, 25 cents for
every four-wheeled carriage or wagon; 18^
cents for every two-wheeled vehicle; and 6^
cents for each horse or ox. Each four-
wheeled pleasure carriage drawn by two
horses was required to pay 37J4 cents, and
i2j>2 cents for each horse additional. Every
person going to and from religious services on
Sabbath, and militiamen going to and from
muster grounds, were allowed the use of the
road free.
John Kilbourne, in his Ohio Gazetteer of
1826 says of this road: "During the last ses-
sion of the Legislature (December, 1825) the
author petitioned for the grant of a turnpike
incorporation to construct a road from Colum-
bus to Sandusky city, a distance of 104 miles in
a direct line. An act was accordingly passed
therefor. But whether the requisite funds to
make it can be raised is yet (March, 1826)
somewhat uncertain. But its benefits and ad-
vantages to above one-half of the northern and
western part of the State, are so obvious that
the presumption is that it will be made."
This road was so important, and its pro-
moters were so influential, that on March 3,
1827, Congress passed an act granting to the
State of Ohio 49 sections of land, amounting
to 31,360 acres, "situated along the western
side of the Columbus and Sandusky turnpike,
in the eastern part of Seneca, Crawford and
Marion counties." The considerations for
which these lands were granted were that the
mail stages and all troops and property of the
United States which should ever be moved and
transported along this road should pass free
from toll. On February 12, 1828, the Ohio
Legislature transferred these lands to the
turnpike company, which sold them to obtain
funds to build the road.
A meeting was held at the schoolhouse in
Bucyrus, and stock sold and subscriptions taken
to secure funds to build the road. Money was
scarce, and the raising of the funds was a dif-
ficult task. It was Bucyrus's first attempt to
secure a public improvement. Merriman,
Rowse and others all spoke strongly of the ad-
vantages which would accure to Bucyrus if this
road could be built, and Abel Carey, who
strongly favored the project, in his remarks
lifted the veil which hid the future, when he
hopefully predicted, "Why, gentlemen, if we
succeed in getting this road, we may yet see a
daily line of stages through Bucyrus!" The
meeting for the organization of the company
was held at Bucyrus and Col. Kilbourne was
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
151
appointed surveyor of the road. The cost was
assessed to the different counties, and nearly all
the additional meetings were held at Bucyrus,
the lively post town being the headquarters of
the enthusiastic supporters of the road. If
there were any "knockers," pioneer history
fails to record their names, but it does record
the fact that some of the citizens subscribed
and paid for more stock than all their real es-
tate would have sold for in cash. The diffi-
culty of raising the funds made the road long
in building, and it was 1834 before it was
finally completed. It will be remembered the
charter called for the building of the road of
"stone, gravel, timber, or other material." It
was built of the latter. The "other material"
being the throwing up of earth in the centre of
the roadway, and through the low and marshy
ground laying trees crosswise, side by side,
forming a corduroy foundation. In some
places, so deep and swampy was the land that
trees were felled and laid across the swamps,
and on these were placed the smaller trees
crosswise. The cost of the road was about
$700 per mile. It was probably the most direct
road in Ohio, the distance from Columbus to
Sandusky by the road being 106 miles, while
an air line is 104. Although the road was not
completed tmtil 1834, stages had been running
over the old county and state road, along prac-
tically the same route, since 1823. In 1827 the
first line of stages began running on the~ new
pike.
What this road was is best told by the Rev.
Mr. Reid, a Congregational minister who came
over from England to visit the American
churches. He went from Sandusky to Cincin-
nati in 1834. He spent Sunday in Sandusky
City, and writes of "the stumps still standing
in the main street and over the spots that have
been cleared for settlement."
Mr. Reid published his experiences in a little
volume entitled "Visit to American Churches,"
and it is so complete and vivid a description of
the Columbus Pike, and what first-class travel-
ing was in those early days, the condition of
the country and the customs, that his entire trip
is given from the Lake to the Ohio :
"Having rested over Sabbath I arranged to
leave by coach early in the morning for Colum-
bus. I rose, therefore, at two. Soon after I
had risen the bar agent came to say that the
coach was ready and would start in ten min-
utes. As the rain had made the road bad this
was rather an ominous as well as untimely in-
timation, so I went down to my place. I had
no sooner began to enter the coach than splash
went my foot into mud and water. I ex-
claimed with surprise. 'Soon be dry. Sir,' was
the reply, while he withdrew the light, that I
might not explore the cause of complaint. The
fact was that the vehicle, like the hotel and the
steamboat, was not water-tight, and the rain
had found an entrance. There was, indeed, in
this coach, as in most others, a provision in
the bottom — of holes — to let off both water
and dirt, but here the dirt had become mud and
thickened about the orifices so as to prevent es-
cape. I found I was the only passenger; the
morning was damp and chilly; the state of the
coach added to the sensation, and I eagerly
looked for some means of protection. I drew
up the wooden windows — out of five small
panes of glass in the sashes three were broken.
I endeavored to secure the curtains; two of
them had most of the ties broken and flapped in
one's face. I could see nothing; everywhere
I could feel the wind drawn in upon me; and
as for sounds, I had the call of the driver, the
screeching of the wheels, and the song of the
bull-frog for my entertainment.
"But the worst of my solitary entertainment
was to come. All that had been intimated
about bad roads now came upon me. They
were not only bad, they were intolerable ; they
were rather like a stony ditch than a road. The
horses, on the first stages could only walk most
of the way; we were freqvfently in up to the
axle-tree ; and I had no sooner recovered from
a terrible plunge on one side, than there came
another in the opposite direction. I was liter-
ally thrown about like a ball. Let me dismiss
the subject of bad roads for this journey by
stating, in illustration, that with an empty
coach and four horses, we were seven hours in
going twenty-three miles; and that we were
twenty-eight hours in getting to Columbus, a
distance of one hundred and ten miles. Yet
this line of conveyance was advertised as a
'splendid line, equal to any in the States.' "
"At six o'clock we arrived at Russell's tav-
ern,* where we were to take breakfast. This
*Cook's Corners, Huron county, three miles east
of Bellevue..
152
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
is a nice inn; in good order, very clean, and
the best provision. There was an abundant
supply, but most of it was prepared with butter
and the frying-pan ; still there were good coffee
and eggs, and delightful bread. Most of the
family and driver sat down at the table, and
the daughters of. our host waited on us. Mr.
Russell, as is commonly the case in such dis-
tricts, made the occupation of innkeeper sub-
sidiary to that of farming. You commanded
the whole of his farm from the door, and it was
really a fine picture, the young crops blooming
and promising in the midst of the desert.
"From the good manners of the family, and
from the good husbandry and respectable car-
riage of the father, I hoped to find a regard for
religion here. I turned to the rack of the bar
and found there three books; they were the
Gazetteer of Ohio, Popular Geography and the
Bible ; they all denoted intelligence ; the last one
the most used.
"Things now began to mend with me ; day-
light had come; the atmosphere was getting
warm and bland. I had the benefit of a good
breakfast; the road was in some measure im-
proved; it was possible to look abroad, and
everything was inviting attention. We were
now passing over what is called the Grand
Prairie, and the prairies of the western coun-
try are conspicuous among its phenomena.
The first impression did not please me so much
as I expected. It rather interests by its singu-
larity than otherwise. If there be any other
source of interest it may be found in its ex-
pansion over a wide region.
"Land here is worth about two dollars and
a half per acre ; and you may get a piece of five
acres, cleared, and a good eight-railed fence
around it for fifty dollars.
"Most of the recent settlers along this road
seem to be Germans. We passed a little settle-
ment of eight families who had arrived this
season. The log-house is the only description
of house in these new and scattered settlements.
I passed one occupied by a doctor of medicine,
and another tenanted by two bachelors, one of
them being a judge.
"The most interesting sight to me was the
forest. It now appeared in all its pristine state
and grandeur, tall, magnificent, boundless. _ I
had been somewhat disappointed in not finding
vegetation develop itself in larger form in New
England than with us ; but there was no place
for disappointment here. I shall fail, however,
to give you the impression it makes on one.
Did it arise from height, from figure, or
grouping, it might readily be conveyed to you ;
but it arises chiefly from combination. You
must see it in all the stages of growth, decay,
dissolution and regeneration; you must see it
pressing on you and overshadowing you by its
silent forms, and at other times spreading it-
self before you like a natural park; you must
see that all the clearances made by the human
hand bear no higher relations to it than does a
mountain to the globe; you must travel in it
in solitariness, hour after hour, and day after
day, frequently gazing on it with solemn de-
light, and occasionally casting the eye round in
search of some pause, some end, without find-
ing any, before you can fully understand the
impression. Men say there is nothing in
America to give you the sense of antiquity,
and they mean that, as there are no works of
art to produce this effect, there can be noth-
ing else. You cannot think that I would de-
preciate what they mean to extol; but I hope
you will sympathize with me when I say that
I have met with nothing among the most ven-
erable forms of art which impresses you so
thoroughly with the idea of infinite distance
and countless continuity of antiquity shrouded
in all its mystery of solitude, illimitable and
eternal.
"The clearances, too, which appeared on this
road were on so small a scale as to strengthen
this impression, and to convey a distinct im-
pression of their own. On them the vast trees
of the forest had been girdled to prevent the
foliage from appearing to overshadow the
ground ; and the land at their feet was grubbed
and sown with corn ; which was expanding on
the surface in all its luxuriance. The stems of
the Indian corn were strangely contrasted
with the large trunks of the pine and oak, and
the verdant surface below was as strangely op-
posed to the skeleton trees towering above,
spreading out their leafless arms to the warm
sun and the refreshing rains, and doing it in
vain. Life and desolation were never brought
closer together.
"About noon we arrived at a little town*
and stopped at an inn, which was announced as
*Bucyrus.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
153
the dining-place. My very early breakfast,
and my violent exercise, had not indisposed me
for dinner. The dinner was a very poor affair.
The chief dish was ham fried in butter — orig-
inally lard, and the harder for frying. I tried
to get my teeth through it, and failed. There
remained bread, cheese, and cranberries, and
of these I made my repast. While here, a Ger-
man woman, one of the recent settlers, passed
by on her way home. Her husband had taken
the fever and died. She had come to buy a
coffin for him, and other articles of domestic
use at the same time. She was now walking
home beside the man who bore the coffin, and
with her other purchases under her arm. This
was a sad specimen either of German phlegm
or of the hardening effect of poverty.
"Here, also, was a set of Mormonites pass-
ing through to the 'Far West.' They are
among the most deluded fanatics.
"We now took in three passengers, who
were going on to Marion. One was a colonel,
though in mind, manners and appearance
among the plainest of men; another was a
lawyer and magistrate; the third was a con-
siderable farmer.
"All of them, by their station and avocation,
ought to have been gentlemen; but if just
terms are to be applied to them, they must be
the opposite of this. To me they were always
civil; but among themselves they were evi-
dently accustomed to blasphemous and corrupt
conversation. The colonel, who had admitted
himself to be a Methodist, was the best, and
sought to impose restraints on himself and
companions ; but he gained very little credit for
them. I was grieved and disappointed, for I
had met with nothing so bad. What I had
witnessed at Sandusky was from a different
and lower class of persons ; but here were the
first three men in respectable life with whom I
had met in this State ; and these put promiscu-
ously before me — and all bad. It was neces-
sary to guard against a hasty and prejudiced
conclusion.
"On reaching Marion I was released from
my unpleasant companions. I had to travel
through most of the night; but no refresh-
ments were provided. I joined in a meal that
was nearly closed by another party, and pre-
pared to go forward at the call of the driver.
I soon found I was to be in different circum-
stances. We were nine persons and a child,
within. Of course, after being tossed about in
an empty coach all day, like a boat on the
ocean, I was not unwilling to have the pros-
pect of sitting steadily in my corner; but when
I got fairly pinned inside, knees and feet, the
hard seat and the harder ribs of the coach be-
gan to search out my bruises, and I was still a
sufferer. However, there were now some
qualifying considerations. The road was im-
proving, and with it the scenery. I had come
for fifty miles over a dead flat, with only one
inclination, and that not greater than the pitch
of Ludgate Hill ; the land was now finely undu-
lated. My company, too, though there was
something too much of it, was not objection-
able; some of it was pleasing.
"There were among them the lady of a
judge and her daughter. The mother was af-
fable and fond of conversation. She was
glad we had such agreeable society in the stage,
as "that did not always happen." She talked
freely on many subjects, and sometimes as be-
came a judge's lady of refinement and educa-
tion ; but she did it in broken grammar, and in
happy ignorance that it was broken. As the
night shut in, she, without the least embarrass-
ment, struck up and sang off, very fairly,
'Home, Sweet Home.' This was all unasked,
and before strangers ; yet none were surprised
but myself. I name this merely as a point of
manners. The lady herself was unquestionably
modest, and, as I think, pious.
"At nearly one o'clock we arrived at Dela-
ware. Here I was promised a night's rest.
You shall judge whether that promise was kept
or broken. There was no refreshment of any
kind prepared or offered, so we demanded
our lights to retire. The judge's lady and
daughter were shown into a closet called a
room. There was no fastening to the door,
and she protested that she would not use it.
I insisted that it was not proper treatment. All
the amendment that could be gained was a
proposition 'to fetch a nail, and she could nail
herself in, and be snug enough.'
"I was shown into a similar closet. There
was no dressing accommodations. I required
them, and was told that these things were 'in
common' below. I refused to use them; and
at length, by showing a little firmness and a lit-
tle kindness obtained soap, bowl and towel. I
154
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
dressed. By this time it was nearly two
o'clock. I was to be called at half past two;
and I threw myself on the bed to try to sleep,
with the soothing impression that I must awake
in half an hour.
"At half past two I was summoned, and
having put myself in readiness, and paid for
a night's lodging, I was again on my way. The
day broke on us pleasantly, and the country
was very beautiful. We foirded the Whet-
stone, a lively river, which ornamented the
ride. We passed through Worthington, a
smart town, prettily placed, and having a good
college, and arrived at Columbus the capital, at
nine o'clock.
"The inn at which we stopped is the rendez-
vous of the stages. Among these there were
two ready to start for Cincinnati. On seeking
to engage my place the inquiry was, 'Which
will you go by. Sir, the fast or the slow line ?'
Weary as I was of the slow line, I exclaimed,
'Oh the fast line, certainly!' I quickly found
myself enclosed in a good coach, carrying the
mail, and only six persons inside. In this jour-
ney we had but three.
"In demanding to go by the fast line I was
not aware of all the effects of my choice. It is
certainly a delightful thing to move with some
rapidity over a good road ; but on a bad road,
with stubborn springs, it is really terrible. For
miles out of Columbus the road is shamefully
bad; and as our horses were kept on a trot,
however slow, I was not only tumbled and
shaken as on the previous day, but so jarred
and jolted as to threaten serious mischief. In-
stead, therefore, of finding a lounge, or sleep,
as I had hoped, in this comfortable coach, I was
obliged to be on the alert for every jerk. And
after all I could do, my teeth were jarred, my
hat was many times thrown from my head,
and all my bruises bruised over again. It was
really an amusement to see us laboring to keep
oar places.
"About noon we paused at the town called
J efferson. We were to wait half an hour ; there
would be no other chance of dinner ; but there
were no signs of dinner here. However, I had
been on very short supplies for the last twenty-
four hours, and considered it my duty to eat if
I could. I applied to the good woman of the
inn, and in a very short time she placed venison,
fruit-tarts and tea before me, all very clean and
the venison excellent. It was a refreshing re-
past, and the demand on my purse was only
twenty-five cents. 'How long have you been
here ?' I said to my hostess, who stood by me
fanning the dishes to keep off the flies. 'Only
came last fall, Sir.' 'How old is this town?'
'Twenty-three months. Sir ; then the first house
was built.'
"There are now about five hundred persons
settled here, and there are three good hotels.
There is something very striking in these rapid
movepients of life and civilization in the heart
of the forest.
"On leaving Jefferson we again plunged into
the forest, and toward evening we got on the
greensward, or natural road. This was mostly
good and uncut and we bowled along in serpen-
tine lines, so as to clear the stumps with much
freedom. The scenery now, even for the for-
est, was becoming unusually grand. I passed
in this day's ride the Yellow Springs and
Springfield. The former is a watering place.
There is a fine spring of chalybeate, and an
establishment capable of receiving from 150
to 200 visitors. Springfield is a flourishing
town, built among the handsome hills that
abound in this vicinity. It is one of the clean-
est, brightest and most inviting that I have
seen. But all the inhabitants were as noth-
ing compared with the forest. I had been
traveling through it for two days and nights,
and still it was the same. Now you came to a
woodman's hut in the solitude ; now to a farm ;
and now to a village, by courtesy called a town
or a city; but it was still the forest. You
drove on for miles through it unbroken; then
you came to a small clearance and a young set-
tlement; and then again you plunged into the
wide, everlasting forest to be with nature and
with God. This night I had also to travel,
and, weary as I was, I was kept quite on the
alert.
"The early morning found me still traveling
and getting seriously unwell. I thought I
must have remained in Lebanon, a town about
twenty miles from Cincinnati, to sicken and
suffer without a friend ; and then all the lone-
liness of my situation came over me. The
stage halted here an hour; this allowed me
some time to recover and I resolved, if it were
possible, to go forward to what I might re-
gard as a resting place.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
155
"Happily, everything was now improving.
The road was not unworthy of MacAdam,
and we bowled over it at the rate of nine miles
an hour. The country was covered with hills,
finely wooded, and all about them were spread
farms, in a handsome and thriving state of
cultivation. Many ornamental cottages now
appeared, and the white suburbs put on a
cheerful and beautiful aspect. At last we
drove into the Western metropolis. I had
traveled three days and three nights, and was
so wearied, bruised and hurt that I could not,
with comfort, sit, lie or walk. The remainder
of the day I spent in my chamber."
From Sandusky to Cincinnati, three days
and three nights through the forests and ford-
ing the streams, over the worst of roads
and traveling first-class at that. Today he
could make the same trip, never deviating
more than a few miles from exactly the same
route, in a palatial car, with "soap, and bowl
and towel," and tasty, well served meals on
the train, and reach his journey's end rested
and refreshed, at less than half the price he
paid for his discomforts and inconveniences,
and if he were to start from Sandusky at two
in the morning he would reach Cincinnati in
time to transact his business and return home
in the evening. Or he could take exactly the
same route in an automobile today, go over
exactly the same road the entire distance to
Cincinnati, and every foot of that road macad-
amized ; pass farming lands on every hand in
the highest state of cultivation; through
thriving villages and towns and cities, each a
hive of busy industry, and in the entire dis-
tance not a log hut to be seen, not a stream
to be forded, and of the forests he so much ad-
mired not one spared in the remorseless march
of civilization.
Times, indeed, have changed, for the route
he took marked an era of progress in those
days, as witness the following from the Ohio
State Journal of June 28, 1827: "From the
encouragement offered, the tri-weekly line of
stages through this place, between the city of
Cincinnati and Sandusky, on Lake Erie, has
been changed by its enterprising proprietors
into a daily line. This offers an important ad-
vantage to travelers between these places, who
may pursue their journey without the delay
in most cases of a single hour. The fare has
been reduced to twelve dollars, which is like-
wise something of a consideration."
This Sandusky Pike was a very good road —
in the summer and fall and in dry weather, as
all well traveled dirt and clay roads are. And
the road was well traveled from the start; on
busy days as many as fifty teams being in
sight at one time, those from the south taking
their grain and other farm products to the
Sandusky market, and also large droves of
cattle and other stock passing over the road on
their way to the Lake. The teams returning
brought the goods needed by the people, which
had reached Sandusky by water from the east-
ern market over the newly-completed Erie
Canal. The easier access to a market at San-
dusky gave the farmers a better price for their
produce and equally the goods they purchased
were reduced in cost owing to the cheaper ex-
pense and better means of transportation. In
all the little villages and every few miles along
the road were taverns, where accommodation,
more or less good, was furnished to the trav-
eler, and these places were crowded. Many
a farmer made extra and needed cash by fur-
nishing accommodation to the traveler or
drover who passed over the road. Along the
road at night could be seen the camp-fires of
those drovers who carried their cooking uten-
sils with them, prepared their own meals and
slept in the open air. Notwithstanding the
traffic and the heavy toll charges, for some rea-
son the road was not a profitable investment,
and the stockholders never received any divi-
dends; neither were there sufficient funds to
make the road bed what it should have been,
and what the charter called for. As a result,
from Bucyrus to Delaware, a large amount of
the travel and even the stages, went by Ma-
rion, and although the distance was four miles
further, the road was better and they escaped
the excessive toll. In the spring of the year so
bad was this toll road that four horses were
necessary to pull a wagon with the lightest of
loads. And many a disgusted traveler, strug-
gling through the mire and mud found him-
self stalled and compelled to seek help from
some neighboring farmer to pull him to higher
and dryer ground, and after paying for this
assistance proceed a few miles further and be
held up for toll charges for the privilege of
passing over this route. There were similar
156
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
roads to this all over northwestern Ohio, some
so bad that rights to mud holes were recog-
nized, and many an enterprising farmer found
a handsome addition to his income in furnish-
ing aid and assistance to the unfortunate trav-
eler stalled by the bad roads. One young man
had started with a wagon drawn by a team
of mules, and with $ioo in cash contemplated
buying land in the new country. Before he
reached his destination he had been compelled
to use all his capital in paying for assistance
to get him over the worst places. He was not
discouraged, however, and was something of
a philosopher, so he went into camp at his
last mud hole and by the relief of other trav-
elers in distress soon had his hundred dollars
back.*
It was in these days that profanity reached
its highest range, and many indignantly re-
fused to pay, and there were cases where the
angry driver in passing managed to get a
hitch on the toll-gate, and drag it a mile or two
down the road. The court records of those
days show many cases against travelers for
"malicious destruction of property," the prop-
erty being these toll-gates, and as the jury were
men who knew these roads and had suffered,
but were at the same time conscientious, they
always brought in verdicts for the company,
fixing the damages, however, at one cent, which
followed the law and expressed their opinion
at the same time. The turnpike company le-
gally continued to make their charges, and
when possible collected them, and the people
finally demanded the abrogation of the char-
ter on the ground of non-compliance with its
provisions. Proceedings dragged their way
through the legislature and through the
courts, with "nothing doing," until one night
the people along the line from Columbus north
for thirty miles made a raid on the toll-gates
and morning found every one of them de-
stroyed. This act brought the matter so forci-
bly before the legislature that at their next
session in 1843 the act creating the company
was repealed. The company asked a hearing
and asked reimbursement, and for ten years
in one form or another the matter was before
the legislature, until in 1856 it came up for
the last time, when the Senate passed a bill au-
thorizing the company to bring suit against the
* "The Sandusky River."— Lucy Elliot Keeler.
State, but the bill failed to pass the House, and
from that time to the present the discouraged
owners seem to have dropped the matter.
Which means that the heirs of the original
stockholders in this and other counties along
the line have still something coming from the
State of Ohio.
Besides this road, in the early days another
stage line ran through this county from Col-
umbus to the Lake; it was authorized by the
legislature in 1820, and was known as the Col-
umbus and Portland road. It entered the
present Crawford in the southeastern part of
the county, from Mt. Gilead (then in Marion
county) passed north, just west of Gallon,
through where now stands Middletown, Lees-
ville and West Liberty, following the route of
the first road cut through the woods by the
pioneers. Col. Kilbourne was also the sur-
veyor for this road, and when he reached
where Gallon now is it was his desire to have
the road pass over the high ground where the
public square is now located. He made over-
tures to Leveridge who owned the land to have
the road pass here and the two would lay out
a town, but Leveridge objected to having his
nice farm spoiled by cutting it up into town
lots, so when the road was located it was in
what is now the western part of Galion, cross-
ing the road from Mansfield to Bucyrus just
east of the Whetstone, and at the junction a
few houses were soon located, with a black-
smith shop and a tavern and later a store and
post office, and when the present city of Galion
was laid out some ten years later, the owner of
the new village with its two or three houses
looked west half a mile to the "Crossing"
where at times as many as fifty teams were sta-
tioned, stopping on their journey over one or
the other of the roads. The Portland road fell
off in business after the western route to San-
dusky was established through Bucyrus, but
the Mansfield road continued to be a stage line
until driven out of business by the railroads,
and the little town of Galion became the cen-
tral point and the cluster of houses at the
crossing were abandoned.
Other stage lines in the early days prior to
railroads were from Bucyrus to Bellefontaine,
and on to Indianapolis; from Bucyrus to Mt.
Vernon; from Bucyrus to Tifiiin and on to
Perrysburg. The condition of this latter road
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
157
was such in the spring of the year that it could
have been better utihzed by steamboats than by
stages ; it was mostly under water during the
entire spring season. This was also true of
many of the early coach roads in this county.
The roads south of Bucyrus were through
water for miles. There were no fences, and
the driver frequently found better ground by
leaving the road and picking his way along the
higher spots across the plains.
There was no difficulty in laying out roads
in those days. All the road makers had to do
was to avoid the worst swamps, and the larg-
est trees, and find the easiest crossings of the
smaller streams. The first road the pioneer
had was only a path which he made through
the woods to his nearest neighbors, blazing the
trees so his family would not miss the way in
making neighborly visits a mile or two away.
When it came to a road to secure an outlet to
market, there were no county commissioners to
petition; no thirty days' notice was necessary;
besides there was no one to object to the road;
they appointed no viewers and had no sur-
veyor; one or two expert woodsmen started
out on a clear day, when they could be guided
by the sun and take their course in the intended
direction, keeping on the highest and dryest
ground and winding in and out to avoid the
larger trees and all obstructions, cutting down
the underbrush as they passed, and a road was
ready for passage on foot or on horseback.
Later the pioneers at their leisure cut down the
small trees in the roadway, removed the fallen
logs and other obstructions, and the road, such
as it was, was completed. Neither was it ex-
pensive to lay out a state road. When Col.
Kilbourne was a member of the Legislature he
introduced a bill to pay himself and others for
the laying out of the first state road in Craw-
ford county, the old Portland road, through
Polk, Jefferson, Vernon and Auburn town-
ships. The section of the bill showing the
cost is as follows :
"Section 12. — That there shall be paid to Luther Coe
and James Kilbourne from the fund aforesaid for their
services as road commissioners and the services of the
surveyor and other assistants by them employed in lay-
ing out and establishing a state road from Worthington
in Franklin county, by the salt reserve section in the
county of Delaware, to New Haven, in Huron county,
the following sums, viz. : For that part of said road
which is in the county of Marion, to be charged to said
Marion in the next general appropriation of said fund,
sixty-three dollars; for that part of said road which is
in Crawford county, to be charged to said Crawford as
aforesaid, five dollars; and for that part of said road
which is in said Huron county, twelve dollars, to be
charged to said county in the next general appropriation
of said fund ; making in all the sum of $80 chargeable
to the said three counties. The part of said road which
is in the said counties of Franklin and Delaware hav-
ing been heretofore paid for ; and the remaining part
thereof, which is in Richland county, amounting to
$76.50, not having been paid or provided for by this
act; but the same is left for future settlement."
This road was about twenty-one miles in
Richland county, the same in Marion, and only
two miles in Crawford. When Crawford was
given four miles from Richland county in
1845, twenty-five years after the road was
built, it was the territory through which this
road passed.
The first attempt at improved roads in the
county was made as early as 1852, when in
January of that year, the citizens of Oceola
met, and decided to organize a company to
build a plank road from Tiffin to Oceola, R. G.
Perry, John Bair and Lewis Tannehill being
the committee appointed to receive and confer
with other towns. Tiffin was the objective
point, it being the nearest large town on a
railroad, and an outlet was wanted for the
products, which were then grain, pot and pearl
ashes, lumber, staves, etc.
Later in the year Oceola endeavored to se-
cure the Ohio and Indiana road, but the cost
of construction was so much heavier, that it
went to the south of them. But as Bucyrus
was certain to secure the road, the matter of
a plank road was taken up with the Bucyrus
people.
A meeting was called for Bucyrus on De-
cember 18, 1852. It was held at the court-
house, and Zalmon Rowse was chairman and
D. W. Swigart, secretary. It was decided to
incorporate as the Oceola and Bucyrus Plank
Road Company, with a capital stock of
$12,000. The second meeting was at the of-
fice of Franklin Adams, and books for sub-
scription opened. Rodney Pool, Seneca Leon-
ard, Lewis Tannehill and Samuel Osborn
having charge of the subscriptions at Oceola,
and Zalmon Rowse, C. Fulton, John Sirns and
P. S. Marshall at Bucyrus. Rodney Pool,
Samuel Osborn and John Sims were commit-
tee to secure the right of way.
April I, 1853, the company met and re-
158
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
ported 115 shares sold at $50 per share,
amounting to $5,750. Bucyrus had taken 71
shares, Bucyrus to Oceola 26 shares, and Oce-
ola 18 shares. The directors elected were
Zalmon Rowse, John Sims, P. S. Marshall and
D. W. Swigart of Bucyrus, and Lewis Tanne-
hill, Samuel Osborn and Rodney Pool of Oce-
ola. Votes were also cast for Franklin Ad-
ams, Henry Converse, Benjamin Sears, George
Quinby and Willis Merriman. Zalmon Rowse
was elected president, D. W. Swigart, secre-
tary, and John Sims, treasurer.
On January 6, 1854, the contract was let for
building the road, G. W. J. Willoughby and
R. G. and A. H. Perry having the contract for
the western three miles and Samuel Osborn
for the eastern half near Bucyrus. At the an-
nual meeting the new directors were John
Sims, president, D. W. Swigart, secretary,
Rodney Pool, superintendent; P. S. Marshall,
W^illiam \Y. Miller, Samuel Osborn and Jo-
seph Ream. The road was completted during
the year and the first six miles of improved
road in Crawford county in operation. Toll
gates were erected west of Bucyrus and
east of Oceola. At the start the road was
good at all seasons of the year and occasional
repairs were made on it to keep it in condi-
tion, but each season found the plank in worse
and worse condition. It was not a profitable
investment financially, as in 1864, the report
showed the road was "about out of debt," and
on the strength of the favorable report they
ordered 50,000 feet to repair the worst places.
After this, no attempt \\ as made to keep up
the road, and it was finally abandoned in July,
1866.
Time passed, and in neighboring counties,
pike roads had been built, but the people of
Crawford still continued in the spring of each
year to haul their loads, sometimes up to the
axle, with many a stalled team and many a
broken trace that failed to stand the strain.
The rich soil of Crawford made the roads
worse than in the usual run of counties.
After twenty years most of the roads in
spring were as impassible as in the days when
the plodding oxen dragged the early pioneer
wagon over the roadless virgin soil, and this
was the condition of road, where every acre
of land was under a high state of cultivation
and each year yielding a bounteous harvest.
In 1886 a proposition was submitted to the
voters of the county by the commissioners, by
which the entire county should be piked by a
general tax. It was submitted at the spring of
the year, when hardly a road was navigable,
and was one of the most singular elections, and
the most bitter that ever occurred in the
county. Friends of a lifetime became bitter
enemies; newspapers and business men advo-
cating the proposition were boycotted; enmi-
ties were created that were years in healing.
Many humorous e\'ents occurred. A fanner
stalled in Holmes township, asked assistance
of a neighbor. "Are you in favor of pike
roads?" was the inquiry. "Not by a d
sight," was the reply. "Then get out the best
way you can," and he was left stalled until a
friendly anti-piker lent him the assistance he
needed. The election came off with the fol-
lowing result:
For Against Majority
Pikes Pikes For Against
Auburn 8 226 ... 218
Bucyrus 22 194 ... 172
Chatfield 2 263 ... 261
Cranberry 53 315 ... 262
Dallas 10 71 ... 61
Holmes 28 254 . . . 226
Jefferson 32 184 ... 152
Liberty 7 349 . . . 342
Lykins 8 216 ... 208
Polk o 172 ... 172
Sandusky 2 145 ... 143
Texas 22 105 ... 83
Tod 26 178 ... 152
Vernon i 204 . . . 203
Whetstone 15 234 . . . 219
Bucyrus, city 689 218 471
Crestline, village .... 307 244 63
Gallon, city 20 1003 . . . 983
Totals 1252 4S7S 534 3857
Majority against . . . 3323 3323
The tax duplicate of 1887, under which the
first levy would have been made, showed the
townships had a total valuation of $11,854,500,
and the three cities of Bucyrus, Crestline and
Gallon of $5,865,200, so the singular resulf
was obtained of the townships voting down a
proposition by which one-third of the cost
would have been paid for by the cities.
The question was certainly misunderstood,
or regarded with suspicion, as two years later
bills were introduced in the legislature author-
izing certain townships to build pikes, the cost
to be assessed on the townships. Cranberry,
Jefferson and Polk were the first to build pikes.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
159
and in 1890 their usefulness and necessity for
pike, building was so apparent that the people
were as unanimous for pikes as they had been
against them. The financial depression of
1893 put a stop to the work, but after better
times came, pikes were again taken up and
their building was only limited to the amount
of tax the various townships would stand for
road purposes.
It was not only the country that had the
bad roads, but city streets were frequently im-
passible, for in the spring of 1893, the hearse
of a funeral procession was stalled on Center
street, sinking hub deep in the mire, and the
pall bearers were compelled to take the casket,
in which was the little child, and carry it to the
cemetery. It was the finishing stroke and that
year Center street was paved.
In 1898 the three townships of Bucyrus,
Holmes and Whetstone entered into a joint
ajrangement for the piking of roads. Other
townships were doing it singly and in the past
twenty years over 300 miles of improved
roads have been constructed, distributed
among the various townships as follows :
Square Miles Mile Pike
Auburn 26 i2}i
Bucyrus 36 40^A
Chatfield 30 1654
Cranberry 28j4 23
Dallas 22 14
Holmes 36 39
Jackson 10 ISJ^
Jefferson 20 24
Liberty 32^ 23
Lykins 3° i9'/2
Polk 21 25^^
Sandusky 18 i^
Texas 12 6
Tod 18 16
Vernon 22 12
Whetstone 42 36^
The above is exclusive of 15 miles of brick
streets in Bucyrus, Creathive and Gabon.
In 1830 a number of the citizens of Craw-
ford, Seneca, Huron, Delaware, Logan, Clark
and Champaign counties presented a petition
to the legislature for a charter to build a rail-
road from Sandusky to Dayton, with a branch
to Columbus. The committee to whom it was
referred reported it back without any recom-
mendation. The road contemplated horses as
the motive power, and the cost was estimated
at $4,842 per mile, including the bar or strap
iron for the .track. It was this road that was
9
built in 1840 to 1845, the Mad River and Lake
Erie, the first road built in the state, and it
passed through the Wyandot portion of Craw-
ford county.
In 1832, charters were granted to eleven
roads in Ohio, and of these four were through
Crawford county.
Jan. 5, 1832, the Mad River and Lake
Erie Railroad. (Built in 1840-45.) Among
those petitioning for the charter were E. B.
Merriman and John Cary of Crawford.
Feb. 3, 1832, the Pennsylvania and Ohio
Railroad Company from Pittsburg to Massil-
lon. (Twenty years later this road was com-
pleted to Crestline.)
Feb. 8, 1832, the Delaware, Marion and
Sandusky Railroad, from Columbus, through
Delaware, Marion and Bucyrus to Sandusky.
Among the incorporators were E. B. Merri-
man, Zalmon Rowse, John Cary, Joseph Chaf-
fee, Joseph McCutchen and Henry St. John
of Crawford. (Sixty years passed before this
road was built by the children and grandchil-
dren of the early pioneers.)
Feb. II, 1832, the Milan and Columbus road,
from Milan to New Haven past Gallon to Mt.
Gilead and on to Columbus, the old Portland
stage route. E. B. Merriman was one of the
incorporators. (This road was partially built,
as later the C. C. & C. was chartered, follow-
ing the route from Columbus to Gallon, and
then going northeast to reach the lake at
Cleveland instead of Sandusky.)
These roads were undoubtedly to be ope-
rated by horse power, as the charters provided
for the erection of toll houses, and people were
to be permitted to go over the road with proper
and suitable carriages of their own.
In 1836 a charter was granted to the Cleve-
land, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad, and
in 1837 to the Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania
Railroad. Feb. 8, 1847, the charter of the
Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati was
amended so as to allow it to construct branches.
At the same session a law was passed allow-
ing counties and towns to subscribe for the
stock of a railroad company providing the
people voted favorably on the proposition.
Feb, 24, 1848, the Ohio and Pennsylvania
was incorporated and on the same date the
Bellefontaine and Indiana, and on March 20,
1850, the Ohio and Indiana was incorporated.
160
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
A charter was also granted at this time for a
road from Bucyrus to Toledo, but nothing
was done with it. A generation later it was
built as the Atlantic and Lake Erie, now the
Toledo and Ohio Central, owned by the Lake
Shore Company.
It was nearly twenty years from the time
the first charters were granted until, with one
or two exceptions, work resulted in the build-
ing of railroads. Crawford county citizens
had taken an active part in the promotion of
the various railroad projects, but it was the
Ohio and Indiana road which was strictly a
Crawford county organization, in fact, pro-
moted, built, and put in operation by Craw-
ford county citizens, especially those of Bucy-
rus. The incorporators of the road in 1850
were John Anderson, George Lauck, Willis
Merriman, Robert Lee, John Frantz, Josiah
S. Plants, John J. Bowman, George Quinby,
John Simms, John A. Gormley, Z. Rowse,
Aaron Carey and C. Widman of Crawford
county, and D. Ayres, R. McKelley and H.
Peters of Wyandot.
At this time the Mad River road was in
operation from Sandusky to Cincinnati,
through Wyandot county, and a road through
Richland county from Sandusky through
Mansfield to Mt. Vernon and Newark. Be-
tween these two the Cleveland, Columbus and
Cincinnati was nearing completion, through
eastern Crawford. When the charter of the
last named road was originally granted the
Bucyrus incorporators were strongly favor-
able to its going through Bucyrus, but the
people at that time, not knowing the value of
railroads, offered no special inducements, and
put forth a very feeble effort to secure the
road. A proposition was submitted to the
voters of Crawford county at the spring elec-
tion of 1846 to empower the commissioners
to subscribe for $50,000 stock in the road but
it was voted down: Yes, 361, No, 1,507; ma-
jority against, 1,146. Galion voted to take
$15,000 stock in the new road and it was lo-
cated through that town. Work was com-
menced immediately and it was pushed rap-
idly, as in April, 1850, the stockholders were
called upon to pay $10 per share on their
ninth assessment. In May of 1850, Alfred
Kelly, the president of the road, announced
that he had just succeeded in purchasing, in
England, 5,000 tons of rails for the new road.
It was later in this year that cars were running
to Galion. The opening of the road was on
Feb. 21, 1 85 1, and on that day by invitation of
President Kelly, the Ohio legislature and other
prominent people were the guests of the road
on the first regular train from Columbus to
Cleveland, the first railroad train in Crawford
county.
Soon after this, death reaped his first re-
corded harvest in this county from this new
method of locomotion. It is thus mentioned
in the "Crawford County Forum" of April 4
185 1 :
Man Killed— On the 26th ult., the cars on the Cleve-
land and Columbus Railroad ran over a man who was
lymg on the track, severing his head from his body.
The man was recognized (we did not learn his name),
and subject to fits, and is supposed to have fallen on the
track. The engineer, as soon as he saw him, reversed
the engine, but it was too late to save him. The ac-
cident happened near Galion.
As early as April, 1851, the road was run-
ning three passenger trains each way per day,
one a fast train called the "Empire State or
Buckeye State Express."
The citizens of Galion early appreciated the
value of railroads, for on May 24, 1850, the
citizens of Polk township decided by a large
majority to take $10,000 in stock in the Belle-
fontaine and Indiana Railroad, to run from
Crestline to Indianapolis. The Bellefontaine
and Indiana was 118 miles long, starting from
the main road of the C. C. & C. at Crestline,
and running southwest to the Indiana line. In
1852, the company issued a prospectus of the
contemplated road, which is interesting as
showing the cost of road building in those days
and also the prospective business. From this
prospectus the following facts are taken :
Road 118 1-5 miles in length.
Cost of grading and masonry, 118 1-5 miles at
. $4,000 $472,800
Five miles double track at $2,000 10,000
Railway superstructure, 118 1-5 miles at $7,900 933,780
Railway superstructure, five miles sidings at
^. $7,900 39,500
Right of way 12,600
$1,468,680
The capital stock was $2,000,000.
The following was the estimated income to
be derived from the new road :
75 passengers each way at $3.00 $4S0
100 through passengers, estimated one-half dis-
tance, at $1.50 ■. 300
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
161
loo tons freight, each way, at $3.60 720
100 tons freight, half way, at $1.80 360
Transportation, mails and sundries 50
Total per day $i,88o
Deduct 40 per cent., repairs and expenses 752
Net income per day $1,128
313 days in year at $1,128 per day, $353,064, or about
20 per cent, on investment.
The abo\e shows that in those days it was
not customary or e\'en contemplated to run
trains on Sunday. The Sandusky, Mansfield
and Newark road was completed as far as
Mansfield as early as 1846, and John Hoover
of Mansfield, who was one of the early con-
ductors on that road, states that in the long
ago something had gone wrong with the en-
gine a few miles north of Shelby. By the
time the engineer had his engine in running
order again night was upon them and they
sought lodgings for the night at a farm house
near by. A passenger suggested that if they
had a big lantern a man might carry it ahead
and the train follow him to Shelby. This was
looked upon as absurd and the man who sug-
gested it viewed with pity, if not with con-
tempt, for who ever heard of a train of cars
running after night ! *
In 1852 the railroads in Ohio were the fol-
lowing :
Cleveland and Columbus; from Cleveland,
through Gabon and Columbus and then to Cin-
cinnati.
Sandusky, Mansfield and Newark; from
Sandusky to Newark.
Mad River and Lake Erie; from Sandusky
to Tiffin, Carey, Bellefontaine and Dayton.
Columbus to Newark, Zanesville and
Wheeling.
Cleveland to Alliance.
Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton; com-
pleted from Cincinnati to Sidney.
Lake Shore ; completed from Toledo east to
mouth of Sandusky river; building to San-
dusky.
Ohio and Pennsylvania ; completed to Mans-
field ; building to Crestline.
Ohio and Indiana; building from Crestline
to Fort Wayne.
Bellefontaine and Indiana; building from
Galion to Indianapolis.
In the map of 1852, giving the above roads,
*Baughman's History of Richland county.
Gallon is spelled "Galeon," and Crestline is
two words, "Crest Line."
It was on Feb. 24, 1848, that the charter
was granted under which the Ohio and Penn-
sylvania was built, the old Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne and Chicago road. In the spring of
1848 a vote was taken in Crawford county,
and carried, authorizing the county commis-
sioners to subscribe for $100,000 of stock in
the road. The Ohio and Pennsylvania, which
was building, found difficulty in raising suffi-
cient funds to complete their road through
Ohio to the Indiana line. It was all they
could do to handle the eastern half of the
state. As a result a number of the business
men of Bucyrus secured a charter for the
building of the Ohio and Indiana railroad.
The Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati road
was in operation, and the charter of the Ohio
and Indiana called for its building from "a
point on the Cleveland, Columbus and Cin-
cinnati road near Seltzer's tavern in Richland
county, thence to Bucyrus, to Upper Sandusky,
thence by a route to be determined to the In-
diana line and to Ft. Wayne."
In March, 1850, Hon. C. K. Ward, the
member of the legislature from Crawford, se-
cured the passage of an act allowing the
county commissioners of Crawford county, to
subscribe the $100,000 voted to the Ohio and
Pennsylvania road in 1848, to "any other rail-
road passing through the town of Bucyrus."
The county commissioners were Peter Con-
kle, Phares Jackson and Sidney Holt. The
records of the Crawford county commis-
sioners of June 7, 1850, show : "This day the
county commissioners subscribed for stock in
the Ohio and Indiana railroad company to the
amount of $100,000, on condition said com-
pany shall agree to receive the bonds of said
county, bearing interest at the rate of six per
centum per annum from date thereof, at par,
in payment of said stock subscribed as afore-
said." At the same meeting they authorized a
tax to be levied of $650 for railroad purposes.
On Sept. 2, 1850, they issued the first ten
bonds of $1,000 each; then legal complications
arose and it took many months to compromise
the trouble, but eventually the matter was har-
monized, and at their November meeting of
1852 the balance of the bonds were issued. J.
N. Frye had succeeded Peter Conkle as com-
162
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
missioner in December of 185 1, but on account
of his health attended but few meetings, and
when it came to the signing of the bonds he
had to sign by proxy as witness the following :
"I hereby authorize and empower A. M. Jackson to
sign my name to all railroad bonds that the other com-
missioners of Crawford County are willing to sign their
names to.
"West Liberty, Nov. 19th, 1852.
"J. N. Feye."
Mr. Jackson was county auditor at the time,
and while the proxy was not in the legal
phraseology of today it said exactly what the
writer wanted to say and the bonds were is-
sued, and accepted.
In April, 1850, the books were opened to
secure subscriptions for the new road at the
business places of George Lauck, John Ander-
son, Willis Merriman and John J. Bowman in
Bucyrus, and Robert Lee and John Frantz in
Leesville. On May 4, a meeting was held in
the interest of the road. Samuel Myers was
chairman and Andrew Failor secretary. The
object of the meeting was stated by J. S.
Plants and remarks were made by S. R. Har-
ris, Willis Merriman, Samuel Myers and J. S.
Plants of Bucyrus, and Robert McKelly and
H. Peters of Upper Sandusky. A liberal
amount of money was subscribed to the stock
of the road, and a resolution passed soliciting
the county commissioners to subscribe the
$100,000 to the road.
The township trustees decided to submit to
a vote the question of Bucyrus township sub-
scribing for $15,000 worth of stock in the new
road. The constable, Lewis Stevenson, issued
the call for the election, but there was pro-
nounced opposition, and the friends of the
road believing it might interfere with their
securing the $100,000 already voted, the elec-
tion was not held
On July 4, 1850, the stockholders of the
road met at the courthouse and elected Wil-
lis Merriman, George Quinby, Henry Peters,
Franklin Adams, Jacob Augustein and Josiah
S. Plants as directors, and the next day the
board organized by electing Willis Merriman,
president, George Lauck, secretary, and John
A. Gormly, treasurer. And by July 26, the
sur\'eyors were at work locating the route
from "at or near Seltzer's tavern" to Bucyrus.
Another survey was made, commencing at the
C. C. & C. at Gallon and passing through
the southern part of Bucyrus, along what is
now Lucas street. This was the favorite route
of the directors and of the engineer, as the
more level ground made the cost of construc-
tion much less. President Merriman had sev-
eral meetings with the Ohio and Pennsyl-
vania ofHcials over the crossing point, the
eastern road favoring the crossing point north
of Seltzer's on account of cheaper construc-
tion, the western road favoring Gabon. In
October President Merriman reported that the
Ohio and Pennsylvania had decided to make
their western terminus at a point on the C. C.
& C. road, called Crest Line, three and one-
half miles northeast of Gallon. He stated the
Pennsylvania and Ohio would reach Massillon
by June, 1851, and Crest Line in two years.
That the arrangement was for the Ohio and
Indiana to commence their road at a point near
Seltzer's tavern. The country west of Mans-
field was such that the Pennsylvania and Ohio
preferred crossing the C. C. & C. track about
two miles northeast of Crestline, but to accom-
modate the Ohio and Indiana and the Belle-
fontaine and Indiana the Pennsylvania com-
pany reluctantly consented to make the point
at Crest Line, providing the Ohio and Indi-
ana road would construct their road to Bucy-
rus, commencing at Crest Line. And the
Belle fontaine and Indiana railway also com-
mence at Crest Line, and the Pennsylvania and
Ohio will build no further west. Merriman
then adds : "A railroad from Bucyrus to Gal-
ion could be constructed cheaper than to
Crest Line, but if Gabon is adopted as the
eastern terminus, the Ohio and Pennsylvania
will cross two miles northeast of Crest Line
and later extend west on a line that will par-
allel the Ohio and Indiana. Crest Line was
the southern ultimatum of the Ohio and Penn-
sylvania, and the Ohio and Indiana must con-
nect at that point."
The $10,000 in bonds issued by the commis-
sioners in September Mr. Merriman announced
he had sold in New York "at good prices."
Then came the trouble in the court. An in-
junction was secured at Tiffin before Judge
Bowen restraining the commissioners from the
further issue of bonds, Josiah Scott and J. D.
Sears being the attorneys for the commission-
ers. Commenting on the injunction allowed
by Jvidge Bowen, the "Forum" said: "Deep
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
163
are the murmurings against Judge Bowen for
his decision in this case, while in the portion of
the county remote from the seat of justice the
news will be received with joy."
On Feb. ii, 185 1, President Merriman re-
ported to the directors that the cost of grading
and bridging for the Ohio and Indiana road
and getting the roadbed ready for the rails
was $3,000 per mile.
The opposers of the road were still active
and endeavored to have the legislature re-
peal the act which gave the commissioners
power to buy stock in the road, and Represen-
tative Ward presented a petition signed by
335 citizens of the county against the repeal.
Mr. Ward's influence was such that the Legis-
lature took no action.
In April a motion was heard to dissolve the
injunction but it was overruled, and in June
the case came before the supreme court, and
they announced they would reserve their de-
cision until December, the directors deciding,
however, to continue their work on the road.
On April 8, 1852, at Bucyrus, the contract was
let for the grading of the road from Crest
Line to Upper Sandusky, the contracts being
let in sections of one mile each, the object be-
ing to have the work completed as soon as pos-
sible. Of the 29 sections between Crest Line
and Upper Sandusky over two-thirds went to
Bucyrus parties.
January 2, 1852, Jesse R. Straughan, the
engineer in charge of the construction, re-
ported that on the Ohio and Pennsylvania the
grading was completed from Pittsburg to one
mile east of Wooster. That part from Pitts-
burg to Alliance, 81 miles, was completed and
in use, except nine miles. From Massillon
east the iron was being laid and the road would
be working about January 25, when track lay-
ing will be extended to Wooster, which will
take about sixty days. From Wooster to
Crestline a force is at work on the heavy sec-
tions. The lighter sections are about com-
pleted and timber in progress of preparation.
By April next the distance of staging on direct
route from Bucyrus will be 86 miles, and in
twelve months the railroad will be completed
to Crestline, and the Ohio and Indiana can be
permitted to begin.
In January, 1852, Franklin Adams suc-
ceeded George Lauck as secretary of the road.
The supreme court also this month rendered
their decision in the injunction case of James
Griffith against the commissioners. It did not
meet the point at issue, but made the evasive
decision that the supreme court had no juris-
diction while the suit was pending in the com-
mon pleas court. The matter was therefore
returned to the court of common pleas, and
as stated above a satisfactory settlement was
made with Griffith and the bonds issued.
The legal point involved in this case was as
to the constitutionality of the law allowing a
majority to vote public money to a railroad.
It was settled later in a case from another
county that such a law was constitutional. On
this question, in 1852, Judge Spaulding held
that "the legislature has no constitutional
power to authorize a majority of citizens in a
county to vote subscription of stock to a rail-
road company that shall be binding on the
property of the minority." Judge Spaulding
was alone in this view, but his minority opinion
is the law today, showing "the stone which the
builders rejected, the same is become the head
of the corner."
During the year 1852 railroad matters at
Bucyrus moved along at high pressure. In
January the directors held their annual meet-
ing at that village lasting four days, and let
the contract to William Mitchell & Co. for the
construction of the entire road from Crestline
to Fort Wayne, he to furnish everything ex-
cept the rails and rolling stock, and to com-
mence work between Crestline and Bucyrus as
soon as the individual subscriptions amounted
to $45,000. The subscriptions at that time
were about half that amount. It was also de-
cided people could pay for their stock in land
at a cash value to be fixed by the seller and the
treasurer of the company. On March 5, 1852,
the town council passed an ordinance and for
the usual one dollar consideration the rail-
road company was authorized to construct a
road on and along Galen street and to lay one
or more tracks and to repair them. The ordi-
nance was signed by S. R. Harris as mayor
and Charles Rupp as recorder. On April 30th
came the first call for payment of stock, which
was to be paid in ten installments of $5 each to
John A. Gormly. In June the entire road was
under contract in mile sections, all to be com-
pleted by July I, 1853.
164
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
The following was the distribution of stock
for the building of the Ohio and Indiana road :
County. Individual. Total.
Crawford count}- $100,000 $50,000 $150,000
Wyandot county 50,000 25,000 75,000
Allen county 100,000 50,000 150,000
Van Wert county 50,000 5,000 5S,ooo
Allen county, Ind 100,000 S7,ooo 157,000
Contractors 150,000 150,000
$400,000 $337,000 $737,000
While Hardin county was organized in 1833, the road
passed through the northern part of that county, all
marsh land, and was regarded as of so little benefit to
the county, that Hardin contributed nothing.
In July President Merriman returned from
New York and stated that he had arranged for
the entire amount of rails needed for the road
and that they would be delivered in New York
from England by May i, 1853. He had, also,
made a contract for the locomotives. On Oc-
tober 5th the injunction case came on before
the court at Upper Sandusky and the injunc-
tion was dissolved to the great satisfaction of
the citizens in and around Bucyrus, and Bucy-
rus's difficulties in securing the first railroad
were over.
The report of the president in January
stated that he had purchased 6,000 tons of the
best T rails to be delivered early in the spring.
The distance from Crestline to Ft. Wayne was
131 miles, and the cost of construction would
be $14,045 per mile. He stated that his ac-
companying estimate was based on the high
price of iron rails, $66 a ton.
Road-bed, track-laying, spikes and station
buildings, per contract $740,000
12,000 tons rails at present prices 800,000
Machinery for first year 210,000
Right of way, engineering and incidentals.... 90,000
Average, $14,045 per mile $1,840,000
During the spring of 1853 work was pushed
rapidly, the papers announcing in April "Sev-
eral hundred new hands have arrived to work
on the road near Bucyrus. The ties are mostly
delivered between Crestline and Bucyrus, and
it is expected the road will reach Bucyrus.
July 4." On July 15, the fourth had passed
and the announcement was: "Rails are laid
three miles this side of Crestline. If there are
no strikes the work will be done to Bucyrus in
two weeks."
On August 19, the death of Lon Dixon oc-
curred at Bucyrus. He had been assigned
there in 185 1 as the resident engineer in the
building of the road. Another young man to
come in 1852 was Cyrus W. Fisher who had
the position of telegraph operator; his salary
was $20 a month, and half of this was paid to
the McCoy House for room and board, but it
was at Bucyrus he had his first experience in
railroad work ; later going to Belief ontaine, en-
tering the army in the Twenty-third Ohio,
rising to the rank of colonel, and becoming
one of the prominent railroad men of Colo-
rado, and in 1889 returning to Bucyrus, where
he still resides.
The first train arrived on Wednesday even-
ing, August 31, and of course there were great
demonstrations. The new road and the iron
horse were equally a wonder to the small boys,
who were the same as they are now, judging
from the following from the Forum of Sept.
2, 1853:
"Timely Warning. — We learn that our town boys are
in the habit of laying such things as spikes, chips, etc.,
on the railroad track to see what eflfect the cars will
produce in running over them. Such acts might throw
a whole train off the track ; it is also a penitentiary of-
fence. We also see small boys, from 5 to 10 years of
age, playing around the cars, not knowing or caring
about the danger they are in. Parents should keep chil-
dren away or go with them to see the cars."
The following from the Forum is the ac-
count of the arrival of the first train in Bucy-
rus, Aug. 31, 1853:
RAILROAD EXCURSION TO BUCYRUS.
The first passenger train on the Ohio and Indiana
Railroad arrived at this place last Wednesday evening
(Aug. 31), on which, according to previous arrange-
ment, our Pittsburg friends made us a visit. A com-
mittee, consisting of Dr. W. Merriman, president of the
Ohio and Indiana Railroad company, Gen. S. Myers,
Col. G. P. Seal, Capt. John Miller and M. P. Bean, re-
ceived the party at Crestline and came down with them.
On arriving here the committee of arrangements con-
ducted them to the American and National, where
sumptuous suppers were in waiting. After supper the
party were conducted to Sims New Hall where a table
was prepared filled with eatables and drinkables (on the
temperance principle of course). Dr. Merriman then
welcomed them to the hospitalities of our town, arid
was replied to by Gen. Robinson, president of the Ohio
and Pennsylvania road. Speeches were also made by
Mr. Roberts, chief engineer of the Ohio and Penn-
sylvania, John Larwill, Esq., of Wooster, Judge Leith,
of Wyandot, Mr. Straughan, chief engineer of the Ohio
and Indiana, and others. The speeches were not
lengthy, but well-timed and to the point. The party re-
mained over night, leaving early next morning. Our
citizens having been invited to take a ride to Pittsburg,
quite a number of gentlemen and ladies went out with
them to that place.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS 167
As early as October, 1853, it was announced mean what it does now, as the connection to
that the accommodation train between Crest- Cleveland meant a wait of three hours and
line and Bucyrus paid expenses. The follow- thirty-five minutes, and to Columbus and Cin-
ing was the first time card: cinnati of five hours and forty-five minutes.
Office Ohio and Indiana Railroad. There was one advantage in the fact that the
Bucyrus, Sept. 22, 1853. passenger desirmg to make the connection
From and after Tuesday, Sept. 27, an accommoda- never worried as to whether his train was on
tion train will be run on the Ohio and Indiana Rail- ,•„ , r . .„„i„^„^„j„.„^ ,„^i^^-^;^\
road between Bucyrus and Crestline, as follows: time or not, a few hours late made no material
Leaves Bucyrus 11 :oo a. m. difiference.
Arrives Crestline 12:15?. m. During the construction of the road the
Leaves Crestline 2 :oo p. m. , , ° , 1 , ^ t> 1 11
Arrives Bucyrus 3:15 p. m. headquarters had been at liucyrus; nearly all
Lester Bliss, Superintendent. the directors each year had been Bucyrus men.
It was later announced that persons desir- It had been promoted and built by the perse-
ing to send freight must have it at the depot verance, the energy and the push of the busi-
one hour before the train leaves '^^^^ "^^" °^ Bucyrus. All over the great state
The freight agent was taking no chances °^ Ohio are cities and villages that have done
on being swamped at the last minute. Besides, ™^^ch for their improvement, but in the entire
no one was in a hurry, not even the train it- ^i^t it would be difficult to find any act in any
self, as it jogged along to Crestline at the rate 0"^ that equals the building of so important a
of ten miles an hour. There was no danger of ""o^d, almost single handed and alone, by a
a "head on" or a "rear end" collision, it being ^'ll^ge of 1365 people. It stands today the
the only train on the road. But it should be greatest monument to the enterprise of the citi-
remembered the roadbed was built at a cost of ^^ns of Bucyrus of half a century ago, and a
about $5,650 (including stations) per mile, fulfillment of the prophetic statement which
and the most skillful work of the engineer was described the little village at its birth as "a
required to keep his engine on the track. That lively post town" m Crawford county,
this road-bed was improved rapidly is shown When the annual meeting of the stockhold-
from the fact that in the spring of 1854 the ers was held in Bucyrus, m January, 1854, the
new time card gave the time of the fast train road was m operation as far as Forest. Up to
from Crestline to Bucyrus at 43 minutes, and this time nearly all the directors had been
the accommodation at 50 minutes. It was un- Bucyrus men. At this meeting the following
doubtedly safety that was looked to in the directors were elected: Willis Mernman and
running of the trains as the return trip from P- S. Marshall of Bucyrus ; Judge Hanna and
Bucyrus to Crestline, up grade, was scheduled B. Hoagland of Fort Wayne; William Robin-
for 40 minutes for the fast line. son of Pittsburg; Robert McKelly of Upper
During the fall the work west was pushed Sandusky, and Mr. Jacobs of Lima. This
rapidly, and in December the road had reached board is interesting as showing the first tend-
within two miles of Patterson* (Forest) and ency toward the combination of railroad inter-
many passengers were on the trains daily to ests. Mr. Robinson was president of the Ohio
make connection with the Mad River road at and Pennsylvania, from Pittsburg to Crestline,
Patterson for the north or south, the passen- Mr. Merriman was president of the Ohio
gers walking the two miles intervening, and and Indiana, from Crestline to Ft. Wayne,
the railroad furnishing conveyances to trans- nearly completed; Mr. Hanna was president
port their baggage. By January the two mile of the Indiana and Chicago, from Ft. Wayne
gap was completed, and the road advertised to Chicago, building. The directors organized
connection at that point- for Cincinnati and by electing Willis Merriman president;
Sandusky. It also advertised connection at George Quinby treasurer; C. W. Butterfield
Crestline for Cincinnati and Cleveland. But secretary, and J. B. Sears solicitor, all from
connection in those days certainly did not Bucyrus. During the year Mr. Merriman re-
signed the presidency of the road and was suc-
*The road crossed the Mad River and Lake Erie one ^ppA^A k„ Tudo-p Hanna nf Ft Wavnp
mile from Patterson; and at the crossing a new town <^eedecl Dy Judge Llanna, Ot tt. Wayne,
was started, which is now Forest. ihe hrst accident on the new road occurred
168
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
on Feb. 25, 1854, when a man named Michael
Kenney, who was employed on a freight train,
was accidentally killed a short distance west
of Bucyrus. The train ran off the track and
threw him between the cars, the wheels run-
ning over him, killing him almost instantly.
He was taken to his home at Shelby for burial.
Crawford county was now one of the most
important railroad counties in the state, with
the most important north and south road pass-
ing through Gallon and Crestline and the most '
important east and west road passing through
Crestline and Bucyrus. The country at that
time, especially west of Bucyrus, was still in
a very wild condition, very sparsely settled.
The new road east of Bucyrus is thus described
by William Crosby, the editor of the Journal,
and it A\as probably his first extended trip on
a railroad :
"On Thursday, June 15 (1854), at 12:30
we took the express train at Bucyrus, but with
scarcely time to be seated we found ourselves
at Crestline, amid the clattering of the dinner
gong, the confused din of a thousand voices,
with as many different orders and wants; the
rush of the hungry multitude to Mr. Hall's
dining saloon, the scraping and thumping of
chairs, the rattling of dishes, knives and forks,
and the occasional crash of a plate, the whole
mixed up into a continuous fountain of noise
by the stunning effect of escaping steam.
After fortifying the inner man against the de-
mands of nature for a time at a table teeming
with all the luxuries of early summer, supplied
with the profusion and served in that enticing
style which only such caterers as friend Hall
of the Crestline House understand, we seated
ourselves in the cars of the Ohio and Pennsyl-
vania road for Pittsburg.
"Attached to an iron steed whose powers
equalled the tornado and whose speed sur-
passed the whirlwind, we swept along the iron
course threatening destruction to everything
that would impede the onward flight. Un-
fortunately this rapid progress resulted in the
killing of three cows at as many different
points, which careless owners or inefficient in-
closures permitted (the cows, not the points)
to wander from their proper range. Stop-
ping only at the more important stations to
drop or pick up such passengers as awaited,
still onward we coursed through clouds of dust
which rendered the various tints of bonnet-
trimmings — the brilliant colors of ladies'
dresses and the jet coats of the "sterner sex"
— all of a russet brown ; penetrating eyes, ears,
nose and mouth with a pertinacity irresistible
to all the puffing, blowing and brushing of
those who endeavored to escape this disagree-
able appendage of railroad traveling.
"We supped at Alliance — a new town at the
junction of the Ohio and Pennsylvania and the
Cleveland and Pittsburg road. At this place
all the laggards and loungers, together with
those peculiar natures that love to be regaled
with an exhibition of abilities in the science
pugilistic, were supplied with a display to their
taste in the form of a brutal fight between the
runners and drummers of a couple of opposi-
tion eating-houses. One of these houses
charged 50 cents a meal, the other 25 cents —
hence the hostility. We were "sharpset," so
leaving the more interested to see the end of
the fight, and discuss the brutalizing merits,
we made our way into one of the dining halls
and endeavored to make a meal on allowance
time only extending to fifteen minutes. After
collecting off of sparingly supplied dishes
something to start on, the eatables commenced
disappearing in the magical manner peculiar
to good appetite. When about fairly inter-
ested in the game of "open and shut" the mo-
tion of the rapidly vibrating knife and fork
was suddenly arrested by a gentle tap on the
arm, and the information of, "fifty cents each,
sir," gently whispered in the ear. There was
no escaping the extortion, so we forked over
— but to those who travel this route we advise
the house on the right, going east, not that we
can indorse the table, but because we think
that it could not be much more scantily sup-
plied, and that we think 25 cents an ample
price for a meal, to discuss which you have
bvit fifteen minutes time allowed, and which
anxious watching of moving cars reduces to
five, and moreover it is scarcely possible to do
any degree of justice in the way of mastica-
tion to a dime's worth of food per minute.
"Reached Allegheny City at 8:30, just eight
hours from Bucyrus — 200 miles. Here we
had to go through all the disagreeable attend-
ants of city stations, resulting from the con-
flicting interests of bus and hack drivers, ho-
tel runners, etc. Finally reached friends."
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
169
In the fall of 1854, the Ohio and Indiana
road was completed, and Mr. Creever accom-
panied the first train to Fort Wayne, and his
account of that trip will give the reader an
idea of the western end of the line at that
time.
"On Wednesday, November 15, at 9 o'clock
the excursion train left Bucyrus for- Fort
Wayne, the occasion being the opening of the
Ohio and Indiana road. When the train
reached Bucyrus, delegates were on from
Pittsburg to Mansfield. At Upper Sandusky
we were joined by the Wyandot delegation and
at Forest by a few more.
"Leaving Forest, 20 miles out. Judge
Hanna, president, was found missing. He
had gotten off at Forest to oversee some work
and the train left without him. At Johns-
town* two freight trains were waiting the
passage of the excursion train. Chief Engi-
neer Straughan ordered one of the locomotives
to go to Forest and bring back the missing
president.
"Between Johnstown and Lafayette we
passed over Hog Creek Marsh. At the time
the road was located this prairie was covered
with water, above the surface of which naught
was to be seen but the coarse sedge grass or
reed, growing and undulating in the breeze.
Several ditches have been cut across the prairie
and the surface water well drawn off. The
soil now begins to wear a tolerable appearance.
The prairie embraces from 15,000 to 20,000
acres, occasionally dotted with little clumps
of bushes and groves of timber. It was a beau-
tiful and novel sight, appearing like a great
lake surrounded by wilderness.
"At Lima we met the mail train, which
brought a large delegation from Ft. Wayne to
meet our excursionists. Here we were saluted
with several rounds of artillery from the Mad
Anthony Guards of Ft. Wayne, and cheering
music by Strubey's band of Ft. Wayne. But
the grand feature at Lima was the collation.
Munificent and magnificent. The caterers did
justice to the hungry guests, and keen appe-
tites did ample justice to the collation. It was
specifically set forth in the invitation card that
the collation would return to Ft. Wayne and
every guest appeared to labor under the im-
*Ada.
pression that it was his duty to see that the
specification was fulfilled, and accordingly
each set to work to carry out the requirement.
After the collation was loadened up to the ut-
most capacity of the excursionists — which,
however, was not sufficient to absorb the en-
tire ^'fixins" by a large amount — the company,
while awaiting the arrival of the missing presi-
dent, passed the time in friendly intercourse
with the Ft. Wayne delegation, who met us
with warm and hearty greeting. After delay-
ing for some time it was concluded to move
on slowly that the express locomotive might
overtake us.
"At Lima the excursion train had three
passenger cars added, increasing it to ten cars,
well, but comfortably filled. The Ft. Wayne
delegation spread themselves throughout the
train, giving out free tickets to the supper at
Ft. Wayne in the evening, and also distribut-
ing tickets containing the name of the person
at whose residence the holder was to be enter-
tained for the night. Our card showed we
were to be with Thomas Tigar of the Ft.
Wayne Sentinel. We made no calculation for
such a result, but as such was our luck we
philosophically marshalled our courage, and
prepared to abide with the Tigars.
"A short time after leaving Lima an ac-
cident occurred which had like to turn our en-
joyment to sorrow. The chief engineer and
superintendent, Mr. Straughan, was very
anxious for the arrival of the president, Judge
Hanna, and while keeping a lookout to the
rear from the platform of one of the cars, he
by some means lost his balance and was pre-
cipitated from the train. The alarm was given
and the train immediately checked and backed.
Mr. Straughan was taken up by some men who
were working near the spot where the accident
occurred and when the train arrived he was
taken to the rear car. After an examination by
some physicians who were aboard, he was,
beyond being stunned and bruised, pronounced
uninjured. This pleasing intelligence was
quickly spread from car to car, and soon the
company assumed its wonted tone. In a few
minutes after, the express locomotive overtook
us with the president aboard. He was heartily
greeted by the excursionists. Everything be-
ing thus righted, our iron steed took a more
170
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
rapid gait, but we had tarried so much on the
way that we could not possibly arrive at Ft.
Wayne until long after schedule time.
"At Delphos the road crosses the Miami
Canal. After leaving Delphos the next im-
portant point for which we kept a lookout was
the State Line, but although the train stopped,
and the brakeman called out "State Line," yet
with all our vigilance we could not see it. We
could discover no line between the Buckeye
State and Hoosierdom. Inseparably united as
the two states are in feeling and interest, may
a no more tangible line ever be drawn to sep-
arate them. Hand in hand may they march
onward and upward to the great and prosper-
ous destiny that awaits their united energy and
enterprise.
"From Upper Sandusky westward to the
neighborhood of Ft. Wayne the great feature
of the country is wilderness — almost unbroken.
At Lima, Delphos and Van Wert the forest is
driven back, and a thriving, busy population is
fast turning the wilderness into a garden, but
many years will pass before Ohio has attained
a population nearing her capacity.
"The energy and enterprise of the Buck-
eyes miist be great to have raised Ohio to rank
as the third State in the Union, while two-
thirds of her rich soil rests undisturbed be-
neath the shade of the primitive forest. Rank-
ing, as the State now does, what must be her
ultimate destiny, when the wilderness shall be
forced from her surface and teeming, busy
life usurps its place, causing fruitful farms,
populous towns, and busy workshops to oc-
cupy the complete length and breadth of the
land.
"Half past four is the hour at which we
should have arrived at Ft. Wayne, but we
reached there at six. We marched to the sup-
per room preceded by a band. The city was
brilliantly illuminated and the excursionists
were continually greeted by the cheers of the
crowds lining the streets. After supper we
went to Colerick Hall, where D. H. Colerick
delivered the address of welcome. It was re-
sponded to by Gov. Johnston, and S. W. Rob-
erts of Pennsylvania, Robert W. Schenck, late
minister to Brazil, and Henry B. Payne, of
Ohio.
"In company with Brother Day of the Mans-
field Herald we were conducted by our worthy
host — Brother Tigar — to his den. Oh, may it
always be our fortune when among strangers
to fall into a "Tigar's Den."
"At ten next morning left for home. At
Lima made a raid on the remains of yester-
day's banquet. Had dinner at Forest. Ar-
rived at Bucyrus at six."
In his account of the trip to Pittsburg, Mr.
Creever mentions as one of the incidents the
speed of the train "resulted in the killing of
three cows." The casual manner in which this
is stated and the following item from his paper
in NoVember, 1855, would indicate little at-
tention was paid in those days by the engineers
to protect the stock straying on the unfenced
track :
"Monday night, Nov. 12, the express, two miles from
Bucyrus, came into colHsion with 40 or 50 cattle, be-
longing to Enos Barrett. The cattle got onto the rail-
road and were met by the train. After making two at-
tempts to push through, the locomotive was thrown
from the track and the effort had to be abandoned.
The result was five of the cattle killed, eleven so se-
verely wounded they had to be killed. A number of
others were wounded. An investigation is demanded to
learn how the engine driver could push the locomotive
half a mile through the flock before they were scat-
tered and straggling along the track. A reasonable de-
gree of concern for himself and passengers would have
dictated the necessity of stopping the train as soon as
possible, and sending a man ahead to clear the track."
More than fifty years have passed since the
publication of the above item, and today it is
well worthy of a place in the humorous col-
umn of any railroad journal. The faithful
persistency with which the engineer stood at
his post and made repeated attempts to force
his engine through a drove of forty to fifty cat-
tle, and finally being compelled to give up the
fight by his engine being thrown from the
track !
On June 24, 1856, the last meeting of the
Ohio and Indiana road was held in Bucyrus,
and it was to consider the proposition of con-
solidating the three roads, the Ohio and Penn-
sylvania, the Ohio and Indiana, and the Ft.
Wayne and Chicago. A large number of
shares were represented at the meeting and the
vote was unanimous for consolidation, and the
road became the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne and Chi-
cago and the headquarters were at Pittsburg.
For a few years the road had trouble adjusting
its financial affairs, the interests of the directors
and stockholders being looked after by Allen
G. Thurman of Columbus. The trouble origi-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
171
nated from the bondholders seizing the road.
It was not until July, 1861, that the matter was
finally adjusted by the company agreeing to
pay one-fourth of the principal and interest in
cash, and secure the other three- fourths in third
mortgage bonds of the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne
and Chicago, bearing interest at 7 per cent.
In 1862 the new directors of the road con-
sisted of three from New York, Pennsylvania
Ohio and Indiana, and one from Illinois.
Among the Pennsylvanians was J. Edgar
Thompson, the man who started the Pennsyl-
vania company on its great era of prosperity;
one of the men from New York was Samuel
J. Tilden; and one of the Ohioans was Willis
Merriman of Bucyrus, the first president of
the central division of the consolidated roads.
Today the road is a part of the great Penn-
sylvania system, and the Ohio and Indiana,
fostered and fathered, and built and controlled
by the business men of Bucyrus is now an im-
portant link in the greatest railroad system of
the world, and the first little train which
jaunted along from Crestline to Bucyrus in an
hour and fifteen minutes has as its successor
one that would be almost to Ft. Wayne in the
same length of time, and as for the thirteen
miles it frequently makes it in ten minutes.
At the start of the Ohio and Indiana Craw-
ford county issued bonds to the amount of
$100,000 drawing 6 per cent interest. The
bonds were issued on Jan. i, 1853, payable
Jan. I, 1868, and for these bonds the county
received $100,000 of stock in the road, each
year one of the commissioners taking turns
in attending the annual meeting of the road
and voting the county's stock. After 1856,
this meant a trip to Pittsburg. By agreement
with the road, the county was to receive an-
nually six per cent interest, payable not in
cash, but in additional stock in the road.
These certificates of stock, in lieu of cash in-
terest, the county received up to the time of
the completion of the consolidation of the
roads on Jan. 20, 1858, a few days over five
years, so at the time of the final consolidation
the county's stock in the road amounted to
$130,096, and after that the county received
no dividends in stock or cash.
The seizure of the road by the bondholders,
the troubles arising in the adjustment of the
difficulties, decreased the value of the stock.
The latter part of the year 1861 the stock had
reached so low a figure that the commissioners
took measures to prepare to meet the bonds
when they became due, and levied a tax of two
and nine-twentieth mills, which would bring
in $21,983. In December, 1862, $14,339 of
this tax had been collected, leaving for col-
lection in June, 1863, $7,644. After the first
levy was made, there was a favorable turn in
the affairs of the road, and the stock began
gradually going up in value. The market was
closely watched, and two of the commission-
ers went to New York and sold the entire
stock held by Crawford County at 69 1-3C —
the highest price at which the stock had ever
sold. The railroad account now stood :
Proceeds from sale of $130,096 stock $90,214
Tax collected December, 1862 14,339
$104,553
Add tax to be collected in June, 1863 7,644
$112,197
Deduct interest, Jan. i, 1863 6,000
Leaving amount in Treasury $106,197
The commissioners then tried to buy the
$100,000 of county bonds outstanding at
their cash value, and close up the transaction,
but the holders of the bonds declined to sell,
as "they wished no better investment for their
funds." It spoke well for the credit of the
county, but there were $100,000 lying idle in
the treasury and six per cent interest being
paid on the outstanding bonds, so the commis-
sioners announced the money would be lent to
the citizens until March, 1867.
They met first on Feb. 1 1 , and the first day
lent $352 to H M. Fisher, $4,000 to Linus
H. Ross, $1,000 to G. Donnenwirth, and $400
to Mary Newell. During the eleven days
they met in February they placed $47,002.
Seven meetings in March disposed of $37,200
and in April and June $27,360 was placed out
at interest.
This money was kept on interest for four
years, thus meeting the interest on the bonds by
the interest received on the money loaned, and
when the bonds fell due on Jan. i, 1868, they
were paid and cancelled, and Crawford's first
and only investment in railroad bonds was an
incident that was closed. Such investments by
counties are not allowed today, yet the Craw-
172
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
ford county one was a success. And the
profitableness of that investment has gone on
and on, and will go on in the years to come.
When the road was built, the cost of construc-
tion from Crestline to Lima, 131 miles, was
placed at $1,840,000. Today its valuation on
the tax duplicate in Crawford county alone is
$4,298,040.
It would seem that as a business proposition
the investment was a financial success. Craw-
ford county borrowed $100,000, which it in-
vested in the stock of the road ; it paid interest
on this borrowed money for 1 5 years, amount-
ing to $90,000 ; when ten years had passed the
stock was so low that the commissioners lev-
ied a tax of $20,000, preparing to meet the
bonds when due. Total cost to the county,
$210,000. It sold its stock for $90,000; it
received interest on money loaned of $30,000.
Total receipts of $190,000, leaving a cost to
the county of $90,000. But for over sixty
years the company has been paying taxes, and
this year those taxes amount to $40,000. An
investment of $90,000 (the net loss of the
county) that brings in $40,000 a year looks
very much like a 50 per cent, annual divi-
dend on the original investment.
As to what per cent of the increase in the
lands and products and prosperity of the
county is due to railroads can not be figured
with any degree of exactness, but statistics
show that in 1850 Gallon was a straggling vil-
lage of five to six hundred people, and the C,
C. & C. and the B. & I. were built, and in ten
years she trebled her population to 1,967, an
increase from 300 to 400 per cent; then the
Atlantic & Lake Erie came, and the next ten
years gave her another increase to 3,5-23, or
60 per cent, and twenty-five years after her
first railroad, from a country village of no im-
portance she had become one of the thriving
and prosperous cities of the state with over
five thousand population.
In 1850 Crestline was a forest, with no resi-
dents beyond a farmer or two and their fam-
ilies; three railroads came, and the town was
laid out, and in i860 it had a population of
1,487, and has had an increase every decade
since, and in 1910 it was a prosperous town
of 3,807 people.
In 1850 Bucyrus had a population of 1,365;
she secured a railroad, and by i860 her popu-
lation increased 60 per cent to 2,180; a steady
growth followed and in 1880 her population
was 3,380. Then came the T. & O. C, and by
1890 her population had jumped to 5,974 or an
increase of 76 per cent.
In i860 Crawford county had three railroads
the C, C and C. and the B. & I. in the south-
eastern part of the county, with eight and
a half miles of track, and the P. Ft. W. & C.
through the county from east to west, about
twenty and a half, miles, making thirty miles
of railroad in the county. In 1864 the Belle-
fontaine & Indiana was consolidated with the
Indianapolis, Pittsburg and Cleveland Rail-
road, forming the Bellefontaine Railway Com-
pany, and in 1868 this was consolidated with
the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and In-
dianapolis Company, which in 1889 took the
name of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago &
St. Louis Railway Company, popularly known
as the "Big Four." When the Ohio and Penn-
sylvania was building they decided to go no
further than Crestline, providing the Ohio
and Indiana would commence their road at
that point, and provided the Bellefontaine and
Indiana would commence at the same place.
This proposition was accepted, and Crestline
was for some years the connecting point of
the B. & I. with the P. Ft. W. & C. road, but
after the B. & I. came under the control of
the C. C. & C, Gabon became the eastern
terminus of the B. & I. trains.
The next railroad in the county was the
New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. A char-
ter was granted to the Franklin & Warren
Railroad Company March 10, 185 1, but noth-
ing was done, and in 1855 the name was
changed to the Atlantic & Great Western Rail-
way. In 1863 the building of the road had
reached Gabon, and it was completed to Day-
ton in 1864. It was popularly known as the
"Broad Gauge" road, the rails being six feet
apart, a belief prevailing that with a wider
track, heavier equipment could be used, and
greater speed and comfort obtained. The idea
was a failure. The expense of construction
was heavier, the cost of rolling stock greater,
and nothing gained in speed or comfort. Along
nearly the entire track a third rail was added
to accommodate the transfer of cars from a
standard gauge to their line. At other times
cars were shifted to other trucks. In the
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
173
spring of 1880, the road was sold to the Ohio
and Pennsylvania Company, and the new own-
ers decided to change the entire road to stan-
dard gauge. It was doing a tremendous busi-
ness, both in passengers and freight, with hun-
dreds of trains daily from one end of the line
to the other, and the change was made on June
22, 1880. Every detail had been seen to, and
every possible arrangement made, and at a
given signal the work was commenced all along
the entire line, and in less than six hours the
entire road was changed to standard gauge
without the discontinuance of a train, and the
delay of only a few, one of the greatest feats
ever accomplished in railroad work. The road
is now the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio,
a part of the Erie system; it has the shortest
mileage of any road in the county, Gallon be-
ing its only station in Crawford, but the build-
ing is the handsomest railroad station in the
county. On this road Galion was the end of a
division, and large shops were erected here
employing several hundred men; the Big Four
also had shops, and the town being a division
point on the A. 8: G. W. and the junction
point of the Indianapolis division with the
"Three C's," many crews had their home here,
and Galion was one of the prominent railroad
centers of the state, and became the metropolis
of the county.
In 1850 a charter had been granted for
building a road from Bucyrus to Toledo, the
project being engineered by Bucyrus people.
The eastern part of the county had an outlet
with the C. C. & C. road nearing completion,
and the western part also needed an outlet to
the Lake, and with the Ohio and Pennsylvania
reaching Buc)t:us, its citizens could well look
forward to the little village becoming a great
business center. Before the project had gotten
fairly under way, the Ohio and Pennsylvania
had been compelled to abandon for the present
the building of their line further west than
Crestline. This was a severe blow to the hopes
of Bucyrus as the east and west road was more
important than anything else, so all considera-
tion of the Bucyrus and Toledo road was re-
luctantly abandoned, and the people of Bucy-
rus took upon themselves the herculean task
of building the road from Crestline to Ft.
Wayne. Here are the men to whom the char-
ter was granted on March 20, 1850, to build
131 miles of railroad: Robert Lee. and John
Frantz of Leesville, John Anderson, George
Lauck, Willis Merriman, Josiah S. Plants,
John J. Bowman, George Quinby, John Sims,
John A. Gormly, Z. Rowse, Aaron Carey and
C. Widman of Bucyrus; David Ayres, Robert
McKelly, Henry Peters of Upper Sandusky.
In four years the road was built.
Fifteen years passed and the necessity of a
railroad from the coal fields in southeastern
Ohio to the Lake at Toledo was apparent, and
the Atlantic and Lake Erie was incorporated
to start at Pomeroy on the Ohio river, through
the coal fields of Athens and Perry counties,
then up to Bucyrus and Toledo. From Bucy-
rus to Toledo it was the original road pro-
posed in 1850, and Bucyrus took an active
interest in the road from the start, Daniel W.
Swigart being president of the new road and
James B. Gormly, treasurer, both Bucyrus
men. Meetings were held in various towns
along the line, and in 1869 the preliminary sur-
vey was made. In February, 1872, a contract
was made with Michael Moran aijd W. V. and
A. M. McCracken of Bucyrus, to • grade the
road from Bucyrus to Toledo, and in July
another contract was made with B. B. Mc-
Donald & Co., of Bucyrus, to lay the rails on
two sections from Bucyrus north. The same
year, 1872, the contract was made for the
bridge over the Sandusky at Bucyrus, together
with the long trestle of nearly half a mile,
necessary to cross the stream. In 1873 the
panic came on, and it was impossible to get
capital interested in any investment, but the
projectors of the road at Bucyrus persevered.
Bucyrus had invested over $100,000 in the
road; other sections had given freely. In
September, 1875, the condition of the road
was at its worst, and a meeting was held at
Bucyrus to devise ways and means to save
what had already been invested and to com-
plete the road. The president made a report
at that meeting stating that a proposition had
been made to sell a portion of it, which would
be detrimental to the interests of Crawford,
Wyandot and other counties. This proposi-
tion had been temporarily defeated by the in-
fluence of the friends of Bucyrus on the board
of directors. But the road was in debt so
heavily that unless something was done im-
mediately the Atlantic & Lake Erie must be
174
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
abandoned. The proposition was that if
$450,000 could be raised, the more pressing
obHgations could be met and the road com-
pleted. This sum was divided along the line,
and $50,000 assigned to Crawford county. On
top of the sum already subscribed, the task
was a difficult one, but the amount was raised.
Construction went ahead slowly, and every
attempt made to reduce expenses to the mini-
mum. The Bucyrus Foundry and Machine
Company went into the car business, and built
fifteen cars to be used in the construction
work; second-hand locomotives were pur-
chased and put to use in the building of the
road, and little by little the work progressed,
and finally in the summer of 1880 the first
train came to Bucyrus. It was less than a
generation since Bucyrus had built the Ohio
and Indiana road, and now the descendants
of the men who had built that first road, had
overcome all difficulties, and secured another
road for Bucyrus. The president of the At-
lantic & Lake Erie was Daniel W. Swigart, a
son-in-law of George W. Sweney, one of the
active workers for the Ohio and Indiana; the
secretary and treasurer was James B. Gormly,
whose father John A. Gormly, was treasurer
of the Ohio and Indiana. Among others con-
nected with the road were Col. W. C. Lemert,
a grandson by marriage of Samuel Norton,
one of the heavy subscribers to the Ohio and
Indiana. Horace and William Rowse, sons
of Zalmon Rowse, a director of the Ohio and
Indiana; W. V., A. M. and Charles Mc-
Cracken, sons of James McCracken, another
active supporter of the Ohio and Indiana;
Joseph N. Biddle, a son-in-law of Robert W.
Musgrave, another of the men active in se-
curing the Ohio and Indiana ; Thomas C. Hall,
who had been one of the builders of the Ohio
and Indiana, and now with his son Joseph E.
Hall, had similar contracts for construction
work on the Atlantic and Lake Erie.
After the road was completed, the influ-
ence of Bucyrus, and the work the people of
that town had done for the road, secured a
favorable proposition for the location of the
shops at Bucyrus, but Bucyrus capital was
already in the road up to its limit, so a friendly
legislature was appealed to and D. W. Swigart,
James B. Gormly, W. C. Lemert, Dr. C. Ful-
ton, S. R. Harris and George W. Teel secured
the passage of an act allowing the town by a
vote of the people to bond itself for $50,000
to build railroad shops. The proposition car-
ried almost unanimously and the shops were
secured, and for more than thirty years they
have given employment to hundreds of men
with a large monthly pay roll that has added
materially to the prosperity of Bucyrus, and
that village which in 1880 had a population of
3,348, by the census of 1890 had taken its po-
sition as one of the cities of the state with a
population of 5,974, an increase of 78 per
cent in ten years. When the road was re-
organized in 1878 the name was changed to
the Ohio Central, and it was sold at that time
for $106,668. Later a western division was
built to take care of the increasing traffic from
the coal fields to the Lake. The road is today
a part of the Lake Shore system, and in 191 1
required additional room for its shops and
trackage, and the only way to secure it was
from the Fair Ground which adjoined the
railroad property on the south. The Fair
Ground could not spare the land, so the citi-
zens promptly formed a company, bought the
entire thirty acres belonging to the Fair Asso-
ciation at $1,000 an acre, and sold the Lake
Shore the eight acres they wanted at $400 an
acre and the remainder of the grounds will
be laid out as an addition to Bucyrus. The
Fair Association immediately purchased a
new site just across the road of sixty acres at
$300 an acre.
In 1867 the Mansfield, Coldwater and Lake
Michigan railroad was projected, to start at
Toledo, then run to Tiffin, and through Ly-
kins and Sulphur Springs to Crestline and
Mansfield. The people in the central and
northeastern part of the county took active
measures to secure the road. Both New
Washington and Sulphur Springs subscribed
liberally, and so enthusiastic were the people
in and around Sulphur Springs -that their sub-
scriptions amounted to $35,000. A prelimin-
ary survey was made, which located the road
about half a mile east of Sulphur Springs, and
an eastern suburb of that village was laid out
where the station was to be, on land owned by
George W. Teel, and several houses were
built. The people of Crestline, however, took
very little interest in the road, which was fatal
to the Sulphur Springs route. New Washing-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
175
ton then took up the matter with the Toledo
and Mansfield people, and a new survey was
made farther north, from Tiffin through
Bloomville to New Washington and Mans-
field. The citizens of New Washington and
southern Auburn subscribed $30,000 for the
new road and so great was the interest in that
section, that these subscriptions were prac-
tically all made in sums ranging from $50 to
$250, the stock being in $50 shares. There
were two hundred men in the two townships
of Cranberry and Auburn who took stock in
the road. Work was commenced in the spring
of 1872, and by October the road was in
operation from Toledo to New Washington,
and on May i, 1873, regular trains were run-
ning over the line. In Auburn township the
road passed about half a mile north of the
village of DeKalb, and the same distance south
of a little settlement called Mechanicsburg,
and at this point a station was placed called
DeKalb, and in 1874 a town was laid out
around the station which was called Tiro, after
the postofifice two miles north, which was trans-
ferred to the station, and in 1882 the DeKalb
postoffice, which had been in existence half a
century, was discontinued, being consolidated
with the Tiro ofifice, and the railroad dropped
the name of DeKalb and called the station
Tiro.
About the time of the building of the
Mansfield & Coldwater road the people of
Delphos and Carey had constructed a narrow
gauge road between those two towns. It was
a purely local affair, built by the people of
Putnam and Hancock counties residing in the
little towns along the line and gave them an
outlet to the markets. Later it was taken over
by some capitalists, among them W. V. Mc-
Cracken of Bucyrus, and was changed to a
standard gauge road, and extended eastward
from Carey to Akron, passing through Craw-
ford in the center of the northern tier of
townships, Texas, Lykins, Chatfield, Cranberry
and Auburn, and when completed it was
almost an air line, 165 miles in length, known
as the Pittsburg, Akron and Western. In the
construction of . the road no attention was
paid to the little towns. From the time it
entered the county in Texas township it fol-
lowed a half section line due east for fourteen
miles to New Washington, passing half a mile
south of the village of Lykins, and a quarter
of a mile north of Chatfield. At New Wash-
ington it took an air line northwest, going-
north of the little village of Waynesburg.
Eastern capitalists had secured the road with
the intention of making it the most direct and
quickest route between Pittsburg and Chicago,
but the grand plans never materialized and it
is today a purely local road, but a great con-
venience to the people along the route. It es-
tablished a station in Texas township, which
was named Plankton, and another in Northern
Auburn, which is named North Auburn after
the township. The road is now the Northern
Ohio.
It was Feb. 8, 1832, that the legislature of
Ohio passed an act incorporating the Dela-
ware, Marion and Sandusky Railroad, and
among the incorporators were E. B. Merri-
man, Zalmon Rowse and Henry St. John. It
was a time when there was a craze for rail-
road building all over the state, and, like doz-
ens of other roads incorporated at that time,
nothing came of it. Nearly sixty years passed
and all the original projectors had long since
moldered into dust when on April 12, 1889,
practically the same road was again incorpo-
rated as the Columbus, Shawnee and Hocking.
By the close of the year twelve miles of the
road had been built from Sandusky to Belle-
vue, and this twelve miles on the right of way
where fifty years previous the Mad River road
had run its cars on scrap iron rails. The route
had been abandoned by the Mad River road
in the fifties for a new route from Sandusky
to Clyde. But the northern twelve miles of the
C. S. and H. (the Short Line) is the roadbed
where first ran the first cars on the first real
railroad in the state of Ohio.
The work on the C. S. and H. was pushed
rapidly from both ends of the line, and it was
on Sunday, Dec. 4, 1892, at 12:15 noon, that
the last connecting rail was laid that joined
the lines. This rail was at the north end of
the trestle in Bucyrus. Although the road
was completed as far as track-laying was con-
cerned, there was still much to be done in the
way of preparing the road bed, and securing
the rolling stock, and it was on Monday, April
17, 1893, that the first regular trains began
176
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
running on the road, and the people turned
out all along the line with demonstrations and
rejoicings.
This was the last railroad built in Crawford
county, with its well ballasted track, heavy
steel rails, monster locomotives, and hand-
somely furnished, easily riding cars. Every-
thing was new and modern and presented the
strongest contrast to the track and equipment
of the pioneer days of railroading. It was
Monday, April 17, the train went through, rep-
resentative of the highest type of railroad de-
velopment, and three days later, on April 20th,
the contrast came. A great exposition was to
be opened at Chicago (one year late) to com-
memorate the discovery of America by Colum-
bus, 401 years previous, and the first loco-
motive ever brought to America was to pass
through Bucyrus. Over a thousand school
children and double that number of citizens
were at the station, when the little locomotive,
the "John Bull," hardly larger than a traction
engine, pulling its two small cars, came round
the bend, puffing and blowing as if it appre-
ciated the full measure of its responsibility. It
came up to the station very slowly, through
two dense ranks of people, who crowded both
sides of the track, leaving only room for it
to pass. It looked small and it looked old, and
even the veteran pioneers present had be-
come so accustomed to the modern trains that
they too were astonished at the smallness and
crudeness of the engine and coaches, that
in their early day they had regarded as a won-
der and a marvel in the science of transporta-
tion.*
*In 1876, this little engine, the "John Bull," was dis-
covered among the old junk in the Pennsylvania shops;
it was repaired and exhibited at the Centennial Expo-
sition at Philadelphia, and later presented to the United
States government. Prior to 1830 experiments had
been made in England with more or less success with
locomotives to be propelled by steam. In 1830, Robert
L. Stevens, the founder of the Camden & Amboy road,
saw the "Rocket" in England, the invention of George
Stevenson, and he ordered one built for shipment to
this country. The engine was built, shipped to America,
and named the "John Bull." It arrived in Philadelphia
in August, 183 1. When it was finally put together it
was placed on a track, specially built for its trial; the
boiler was filled with water from a hogshead ; a fire of
pine wood was lighted in the furnace, and at the mdi-
cation of thirty pounds of steam pressure, the young
engineer named Dripps, nervous- with excitement,
opened the throttle, and the first locomotive in America
moved over the rails. One of the little old cars had
been purchased in 1868 bv a farmer living near South
When the train stopped, men and boys and
women and girls crowded around the little
cars, -and went inside, finding them so low
that a tall man must stoop. Common wooden
seats ran along the sides; there were little
windows, placed there only to give light, so
high that one must stand up or kneel upon the
seat to look out. These windows could not be
opened; there were no lights for after night,
so when the shades of evening fell, the passen-
gers rode in darkness. The engine weighed
ten tons, and was the same as when it first
ran in America, except that it had been changed
from wood to coal fuel. The tender had a
capacity of about a ton of coal, and the water
tank about 1500 gallons of water. The water
was sufficient for thirty miles, but the coal
would last for ninety miles. The boiler was
13 feet long, and 3 feet 6 inches in diameter.
The cylinders were 9 by 20 inches. There
were two drive wheels on each side, 4 ft. 6 in.
in diameter, with cast iron hubs and wooden
felloes. On top of the tender at the rear was
a contrivance resembling a poke bonnet; it
was called the "gig top," and here sat the for-
ward brakeman on the lookout for approach-
ing trains, and also to signal the rear brake-
man should occasion require. He worked the
brakes on the locomotive and tender by means
of a lever which extended up between his knees.
There was no bell cord or gong to the locomo-
tive and all communication between the brake-
man and engineer was by word of mouth. He
kept by him a few soft clods which carefully
aimed, attracted the attention of the engineer
if hasty communication was necessary.
Following the little train was one of mod-
ern construction. The locomotive, weighing
Amboy, the Camden and Amboy road having thrown
it into discard. The farmer removed it to his place
and used it as a chicken-coop. It housed the chickens
until a representative of the Pennsylvania road looking
for curiosities, ran across it, and entered into negotia-
tions for its purchase. The thrifty farmer discovered
that lapse of time had endowed his hen-coop with an
unexpected value, and he demanded and received a price
which represented more than compound interest on his
original purchase, and although the hens were left
homeless, the farmer looked out for himself by build-
ing a new residence with all modern improvements
from the proceeds of his sale. The second car had not
so romantic a history. It was found years previously
in a lumber yard in a New Jersey town, and a far-
sighted Pennsylvania official had secured it as a relic,
believing the day might come when it would have a
value as a curiosity.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
177
160,000 pounds, easily drew its long line of
parlor cars and sleepers, and diner, all fitted
with every modern improvement and filled
with the officers and guests of the Pennsyl-
vania company. From Philadelphia to Chi-
cago this finest locomotive of modern con-
struction restrained its power, followed its
wheezing ancestor, decrepit with age, as if it
were exercising a fatherly and protecting care
over him which it no doubt was.
At Bucyrus, the train was joined by repre-
sentatives of the Journal and Telegraph, the
Forum and the Courier. The Journal sent
their veteran editor, John Hopley, who in
1842, had come as far west as Pittsburg on
just such a train, and with him the youngest
member of the firm, J. W. Hopley, as repre-
sentatives of the past and the present. They
rode in one of the- ancient coaches as far as
Upper Sandusky, jarred and jolted in the
springless car, kneeling on the seat occasion-
ally to glance from the window, and when
Upper Sandusky was reached both youth and
age preferred comfort to novelty, and as far
as they were concerned the little train, once
the pride of the road, and once the acme of
perfection in traveling, was left to jog on its
slow way alone, while they-found all the com-
forts of travel in the palatial cars of the mod-
ern train. The speed of both trains was of
course governed by the motive power of the
John Bull and it took nine hours to go from
Bucyrus to Ft. Wayne, being a trifle over 14
miles an hour.
On Nov. 12, 1891, the commissioners of the
county granted a franchise for the building
of an electric road from Galion to Bucyrus, to
be known as the Suburban Electric Railway
Company. The financial depression of 1893
put a stop to all improvement investments, but
later the matter was again taken up, and the
work of building commenced at Gabon, and
gradually extending to Bucyrus. On Aug. 26,
1899, a regular train service was started from
Galion as far as the T. & O. C. tracks at Bu-
cyrus, and on September ir, the track had
been completed to the Public Square, and there
was a half-hourly service between the county
seat and the metropolis of the county. Al-
though the two cities had a combined popula-
tion of about 14,000 the business did not jus-
tify so frequent a service and it was soon re-
duced to hourly trains. Later the road was
extended to Crestline, and the following year
to Mansfield, and it became the Cleveland,
Southwestern and Columbus Railway Com-
pany, with through trains from Cleveland to
Bucyrus. The headquarters of the motive
power and the car barns are at Galion.
In 1894 an electric road was projected from
Columbus to Cleveland, by way of Delaware,
Marion and Galion. The latter city took little
interest in the road so Bucyrus took the matter
up, and Frank L. Hopley had the builder of
the road, John G. Webb, of Springfield, visit
Bucyrus, and after a consultation with J. B.
Gormly, W. C. Lemert, George Dennenwirth
and others, the road was incorporated as the
Columbus, Marion and Bucyrus Electric Rail-
way, and on Aug. 5, 1905, James B. Gormly
was elected one of the directors of the new
road. Owing to the high prices at which land
was held much time was consumed in securing a
right of way, but the Marion road was finally
decided upon, and the work of construction
commenced. On Monday, Aug. 10, 1908, reg-
ular trains started from the south end of Pop-
lar street, and the first through passenger to
Columbus was County Treasurer George W.
Miller, who took the first car to make his set-
tlement with the state treasurer. There was
difficulty over the route through Bucyrus, but
the matter was finally settled, and on Oct. 27,
the track laying reached the Public Square, E.
B. Monnett and Charles Roberts driving the
last spikes which made the connecting link at
Bucyrus of an electric line from Cleveland to
Cincinnati.
The following table shows the amount of
trackage in the various townships in the
county, and their value as placed on the tax
duplicate. Also the appraised value of the va-
rious roads in the county. The total valuation
of all property on tax duplicate in the county
is $52,453,120, and of this $8,758,680 is rail-
178
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
roads. Jefferson township fares best, as its
entire valuation on the tax duplicate is $2,190,-
840, and of this nearly half, $981,770 is rail-
road property.
elex:tric roads.
Total
Main Double Sid- Track-
Track Track ings age Value
Bucyrus 16.45
Whetstone 11. 14
Polk 11-99
Jefferson 4.89
Jackson 5.52
Tod 4.31
Chatfield 13.30
Cranberry 9.84
Holmes 6.47
Liberty 6.07
Vernon 2.90
Auburn 6.09
Dallas 2.43
Texas 2.51
Lykins 5.04
Sandusky
6.07
S-44
S.83
4.89
5.52
2.00
14.99
.78
22.93
2.72
21.65
2.06
2.28
2.09
1.38
2.25
.65
.16
.38
37.51
17.36
40.75
12.50
32.69
8.37
15.58
11.93
7.85
6.96
2.90
8.34
3-08
2.67
5-42
$1,811,670
1,301,780
1,126,610
981,770
842,190
508,330
408,940
377,740
291,030
233,610
191,250
170,930
95,030
32,160
25,290
Totals .108.95
Electric 26.77
29-75 75.21 213.91 $8,398,330
32 27.09 360,350
Track
Polk 6.95
Whetstone 6.48
Bucyrus 8.06
Jackson 2.77
Dallas 2.51
Totals 26.77
Sidings
.01
.08
-14
-09
-32
Total
6.96
6.56
8.20
2-77
2.60
Value
$110,590
104,810
79,890
42,990
22,070
27.09
$360,350
VALUATION OF ROADS IN CRAWFORD COUNTY.
Main
Track
P., Ft. W. & C... 20.46
T. &GI1 C 18.19
T., W. V. & O.,
San. branch . . 21.94
T, W. V. & O.,
Mans, branch . 12.33
C, C, C. & St. L. 9.55
N. Y., P. & O.... 5.90
Northern Ohio . . 20.58
Total
Second Sid- Track-
Track ings age
20.46 28.25 69.17
11.62 29.81
Valu-
ation
$4,298,040
935,290
5.18 27.12 868,820
3.12 15.45 835,470
5.43 11.60 26.58 691,630
3.86 12.50 22.26 665,560
2.94 23.52 103,520
Totals 108.95
C. & S. W., elec. . 17^1
C, M. & B., elec. 9.16
29.7s 75.21 213.91 $8,398,330
09 17.70 280,090
23 9.39 80,260
Totals 135.72 29-75 75-53 241.00 $8,758,680
135.72 29.7s 75.53 241.00 $8,758,680
CHAPTER VIII
AUBURN TOWNSHIP.
Auburn Township — Location and Topography — Drainage — Creation of Auburn Town-
ship and First Election — Early Settlers — Justices — Forest Adventures — Early Mills
— Churches and Schoolhouses — Waynesburg — North Auburn — Mechaniscburg — Tiro
— DeKalb PostoMce — A Prohibition Ordinance — Mr. Baker's Enterprise — Cranber-
ries— An Indian Burying Ground — The Hanna Graveyard — Other Cemeteries.
Sweet Auburn ! loveliest village of the plain,
Where health and plenty cheered the laboring swain,
Where smiling spring its earliest visit paid,
And parting summer's lingering blooms delayed.
— Oliver Goldsmith.
Auburn township was a part of the land
ceded by the Indians ,to the United States in
1805, and is the northeastern township of the
county. It was surveyed by Maxfield Ludlow
in 1807, and it was in the southern portion of
this township his notes show that he had not
been able to get a drink of water for 48 hours,
while in the northern portion, the land was the
most "hedeous" he had ever surveyed in his
seven years' experience, and much of it was two
feet under water. This northern portion was
a vast swamp, very wet and unproductive ex-
cept for cranberries. The township is very
level, with a gradual slope to the north. In the
western portion, Honey creek after rising near
Tiro, goes north through the western sections,
then west to the Sandusky river, while in the
eastern part Coykendall run goes north to
empty into a branch of the Huron river at
New Haven. Both these streams have small
branches, so that every section of the township
is well watered. In the earlier days little
streams starting in the forest wandered on
their way northward to be eventually lost in the
great swamp. Later an outlet to the swamp
was made by which nearly all the marsh was
drained into Honey creek or Coykendall run,
and the worst country that the surveyor had
ever gone over, became one of the most fertile
and productive regions of the county. The soil
of the entire township is very rich, being deep
and black, with sufficient sand to furnish
enough silica for strengthening the growing
grain. The drift deposits are underlain in the
southern portion of the township by an abun-
dance of excellent limestone, too deep to be
profitably worked, except, perhaps in the south-
west part of section 28 and northwestern part
of section 23, where on a little run there is a
surface outcropping of very good limestone.
There is a quantity of iron in the soil of the
drift deposits, and in a number of wells the
water is tinctured with that mineral. Abun-
dance of water is easily found in the sand of
the Waverly group of rocks at a very slight
depth.
Auburn township was a part of Richland
county when the latter was created in 1807,
and for 13 years it was the west half of Ply-
mouth township of that county. On April 3,
1820, Auburn township was created by the
commissioners of Richland county. From its
now- fertile fields of waving grain, and its level
stretch of the richest of farming land under the
highest state of cultivation one might today
suppose it received its name from Goldsmith's
lines at the head of this chapter.
But, however appropriate such an idea for
the selection might seem, it was not the case.
Several settlers met to discuss the affairs of the
new township and among other matters to se-
lect a name. Naturally, each one had a choice,
and several names were mentioned, every man
supporting his own choice. Among the set-
179
180
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
tiers were two brothers, Palmer and Daniel
Hulse, who had come there from Auburn, N.
Y., and as they cast two solid votes lor Au-
burn, that name was selected. Of the other
names presented there is no record, but while
the name chosen was not from the poetry of
Goldsmith, the new township started on its ca-
reer with one of the few poetical names in
the county. The Richland commissioners fol-
lowed the wishes of the citizens and named
the township Auburn, and called an election
for April 2, 1 821, to elect township officers.
The following is the account of the first elec-
tion, taken from a record book in the pos-
session of James M. Cory :
"At an election held at the house of Palmer
Hulse, in Auburn township, on the second day
of April, 1821, agreeable to an order of the
county commissioners, the following persons
were elected township officers : Jacob Coyken-
dall, clerk; Samuel Hanna, Levi Bodley and
Michael Gisson, trustees; David Cummins,
treasurer ; James Gardner and David Cummins,
overseers of the poor; Adam Aumend and
Charles Dewitt, fence viewers ; James C. Coy-
kendall and Lester and Jesse Bodley, apprais-
ers; Adam Aumend, Jr., constable; Michael
Gisson, William Cole, William Laugherty and
William Garrison, supervisors. The above of-
ficers were severally elected and qualified ac-
cording to law. Jacob Coykendall, township
clerk."
In the book containing these records, the fol-
lowing entry is found :
"Jacob Coykendall's commission as justice
of the peace bears date July 14, 1821. He was
qualified Aug. 29, same year, and gave bond
Sept. 27, 182 1 ; James Coykendall and James
Gardner, bondsmen."
The second election was held at the house of
Jacob Coykendall on April i, 1822, and the
third at the house of Aaron B. Howe, April 7,
1823.
In 182 1 the pioneers of Auburn were nearly
all from New England with a few from New
York, and it is probable the first election fol-
lowed the town-meeting plan of New England,
where all the voters met in convention and se-
lected their officials. The residence of Palmer
Hulse was in what is now Richland county,
near the road which runs from Bucyrus to Ply-
mouth. So the townshio was named by two
men who never resided in what is the present
Auburn township, the same as Crawford
county was named after the revolutionary of-
ficer who was tortured by the Indians at a site
which is not now a part of the county.
In the chapter relating to Crawford county,
the names are given of those who settled there
in the early days, John Pettigon and Jedidiah
Morehead, who erected cabins and pursued
their occupation as hunters as early as 1814
to 1815. William Green entered 160 acres and
erected a log cabin on section 27 in 181 5, to
which he removed with his family on Dec. 16,
1816. He had left his family in Licking
county. Green was the first real settler in Au-
burn township and what is now Crawford
county. He increased his quarter section un-
til later he owned a full section of 640 acres,
and half a century later his sons Samuel S.
and Walter, were cultivating the land cleared
by their father. A man named John Deardorff,
settled in Auburn township in 18 16, but left
before the township was organized. William
Cole, in 181 7, settled on section 27; Charles,
David and James Morrow, in 1817, just west
of Green and Cole, on section 28; Jacob Coy-
kendall, on section 15, two miles west of the
Hulses, in 18 16; Charles Dewitt, John Bodley,
David Cummins, on section 22, north of Green ;
William Laugherty on section 29, a mile north
of the present village of Tiro, in 1818. Among
those in 1819, were Resolved, a descendant of
Perigrene White, who was born on the May-
flower while it was anchored off the coast of
Massachusetts. Perigrene White was the sec-
ond son of William and Susanne White, who
sailed from Southampton on the Mayflower
with their two children, one a daughter Faith,
and the other a son. Resolved, receiving that
name from the fact of his birth, just at the
time his father had finally resolved to accom-
pany the Pilgrims to America. The Resolved
White who settled in Auburn, was the fifth or
sixth generation from William White, the Pil-
grim father. He was born in Poonfred town-
ship, Windham county, Conn., on March 31,
1787, and in 1794 went with his parents to
Windsor, Berkshire county, Mass. ; here his
father died in 1804, and four years later his
mother moved to Otsego county, N. Y., and
later to Ontario county. Early in 181 8, Re-
solved White, in company with Rev. Asabel
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
181
Moore and family, left in a horse and sleigh
for the Connecticut reserve. A part of this
way they made on the ice, along the southern
shore of Lake Erie. Reaching Huron on Lake
Erie, they went up the Huron river through
Milan to Norwalk, which at that time consisted
of two or three log cabins, Paul Benedict of
Connecticut having erected the first log cabin
there in 1817. White stopped here and erected
the first frame building in Norwalk for a man
named Forsyth. He decided to settle in this
section, and went through the woods on an ex-
ploring tour, and reaching Auburn township,
purchased of William Laugherty, the east half
of section 29, paying $3.75 per acre. There
was a small log house on the farm and a few
acres cleared. He then returned to Norwalk
and continued his trade as a carpenter, and in
the spring of 1821, went to Ontario county, N.
Y., sailing on Lake Erie on the steamboat
Walk-in-the-Water, the first steamer that ever
plied the waters of Erie. The event which
transpired on White's return to Ontario
county showed there was a reason for his se-
curing a home in the west, and that his return
had been arranged for when he left home three
years previous. On May 13, 1821, he married
Lucy Searl, and he purchased a horse and
wagon and with his bride started for their
western home, where he arrived on July 10 of
that year, and remained a resident of Auburn
township until his death on April 5, 1875, his
wife Lucy having died a year previous. May
13, 1874. Rodolphus Morse settled on section
20, just north of White's purchase, in 1819 or
1820. He arrived with his wife Huldah and
son Amos, then but a year old. Morse took
a prominent position in the afifairs of Auburn
township, and was followed by his son Amos,
who until his death was a leading man in the
control of the township. Others in 1819 were
Samuel and Elizabeth Hanna, settling on land
his father James had entered in 1818.
John Webber and Palmer and Daniel Hulse
were also early settlers. The first officers
of the township show that other early settlers
were Levi Bodley, Michael Gisson, James
Gardner and William Garrison; besides
these, the records indicate that a man named
Tyndall was a resident of the township; also
Jacob Byerson, section 31, and Lester Levi
and Jesse Bodley; John Blair, who came in
1 82 1 from New York State, bought a half sec-
tion in sections 20 and 21, where his son Ira,
still lives; George Hammond and wife Sarah,
who came from Connecticut in 1822, purchased
150 acres of Martin Clark, the northwest
quarter of section 28, on which there was a
small cabin, and a few acres already cleared.
His heirs still live on the farm. John Sheckler
came from Pennsylvania in 1821, settling on
section 22. In 1850, 151 acres of this land
was appraised at $1,000. Erastus Sawyer set-
tled on section 21, Jesse Ladow on section 10,
and Nelson S. Howe on section 16, also Aaron
B. Howe ; Daniel Bunker, Jacob Bevard, Rich-
ard Tucker, Seth Hawkes, Jacob and William
Snyder and Erastus Kellogg; William Johns,
Thomas Cooker, Enoch Baker, and John Tal-
ford. Erastus Sawyer came in 1820. Adam
Aumend, with his wife and daughter, both
named Mary, came in 1819.
Jacob Coykendall was the first justice of the
peace; his commission was dated July 14, 1821,
and he qualified on Aug. 29, with James Coy-
kendall and James Gardner as bondsmen. One
of his first acts was the marriage of Harvey
Hoadley to Elizabeth Blair in 1821. The next
known marriage was Dec. 19, 1822, when
Erastus Kellogg and Sally Snider became man
and wife.
May 8, 1824, Jacob Coykendall and Aaron
Howe were appointed justices. On April 23,
1827, Jacob Coykendall was again appointed
and with him James Clements.
Since Auburn township has been a part of
the present Crawford county, the following
have been the justices of the peace; dates given
being the year of their election : William Cum-
mins— 1845-48-51; William. D. Sims — 1845-
57-59-60-63; Adam Aumend — 1848; David C.
Morrow — 1854; Amos Morse — 1854-60-63-
66-69-72-78-8 1 -84 ; Jacob Eckis — 1 85 7-66 ;
George Hammond — 1865; Enoch T. Kenes-
trick. — 1869; Jacob Shutt — 1872; Resolved R.
Ross— 1876-79; Daniel Howe— 1882-85-88;
Charles McConnell — 1 887-91 -94-97- 1 900-04 ;
George S. McKee — 1891-94; Samuel R. Houk
— 1897; F- L. Kemp — 1903-07; James Cahill
— 1906-07; Harvey B. Morrow — 1910; J. C.
Johnson — 19 10.
When the first settlers appeared there were
many Indians in the neighborhood, the Wyan-
dots and Delawares being the principal tribes
182
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
with Senecas and others. They gathered cran-
berries during the season, and shot the game
that abounded in the forests. The pioneers of
Auburn had located there to make homes for
themselves and nearly all of them devoted their
time to the clearing away of the forests and
the cultivation of the soil. Some few hunted
the wild game, but the majority preferred de-
voting their time to agriculture, purchasing
game of the friendly Indians, or of some neigh-
bor skillful with the rifle. The principal pay
of the Indians was in whiskey, a gallon being
sufficient for the result of one day's hunting,
but when it came to the white hunter it was a
matter of cash, or if in whiskey, several gal-
lons were the price of a day's shooting.
One of the first things needed was roads.
The southern half of the township by 1820,
was fairly settled with perhaps a mile separat-
ing neighbors. These were reached by blazed
paths through the forest. But \\hen crops
were gathered a market was necessary, so the
settlers cut through the woods a road extend-
ing from the southern part of the township up
toward Paris (Plymouth) and into Huron
county, through New Haven to Milan, then the
principal town in what is now Huron county.
This road was very crudely constructed, merely
the trees and bushes cut away, and where the
ground was low and swampy, trees were
felled and a corduroy road made. Another
road ran from Paris, through the township
southwest to Bucyrus, while a third crossed
the northeastern part of the county, running
from Tiffin through where New Washington
now is and on east. In Auburn township
nearly the entire distance was corduroy, the
only way to make the swamps passable; and
each spring new logs had to be piled on the
old, where the old ones had sunk into the soft
mire. Deer, bear, wolves and catamounts
were abundant; the deer were harmless but
the three latter were a nuisance and a danger
to the settlers. The killing of the deer by the
Indians was at such wholesale rates that the
settlers were obliged to put a stop to the kill-
ing of the does, the true white hunter only
killing does out of the breeding season and for
meat. The Indians killed indiscriminately
for the skins of the animal, leaving the car-
casses in the Avood as useless. Amos Morse
tells the storv that his father, Rodolphus
Morse, had an agreement with David Byers,
an expert woodsman, by which his father
agreed to bring in all the deer that Byers
could kill in one day. Byers made the ar-
rangement one evening when there was a
heavy snow fall, assuring the next day as an
excellent one for deer. The hunter had an
old flint lock rifle, which had done him serv-
ice for years, and during the day killed seven
deer. Six of these Morse brought in, but the
seventh had only been wounded and Byers had
followed it for eight miles before he killed it,
and it was late in the day, and impossible for
Morse to bring in the animal as per the agree-
ment. Many of the hunters captured the
fawns, which patiently stood at their dead
mother's side, and were easily led home where
they became the pets of the children, following
them around, adorned with some bright rib-
bon, and when possible, with a bell so they
could be found when they strayed away into
the forests.
The wilder animals were a nuisance. On
one occasion Enoch Baker had gone through
the woods on Saturday evening to see his girl,
following the trail his frequent trips had done
much toward establishing between the two
cabins. On his way home he was scented by
the wolves, and started on a swift run for his
father's cabin. He could hear the howling of
the wolves as they approached nearer and
nearer, finally snapping and snarling on both
sides of him. Fortunately, he was near his
home. He was armed only with a stout club,
and threatening demonstrations with this kept
the snarling animals at bay until he could
reach the clearing, and when he got into the
open the wolves slunk back into the forest.
It was not a pleasant experience, but he did
not regard it as serious enough to overcome
the pleasures of his Saturday evening's visits,
for they were continued until the young lady
solved the problem and relieved him of all
further dangerous trips by making her home
with him, the young couple moving into a
cabin on his father's farm.
One Sunday morning Daniel Cole, having
arisen early to look after his farm duties,
heard a hallooing in the woods, went into the
house, and got his rifle, and started out to
find the cause. Up in the crotch of a small
tree sat one of his young neighbors, while at
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
183
the base, a bear was patiently standing guard.
Cole killed the bear, and the young man came
down. He, too, was on his way home from a
visit to his best girl, when he was followed by
a bear and only found safety in a sapling too
small for the bear to climb but large enough
to support him. It had not been a long wait,
as in those days when a young man started for
a courting visit of several miles after doing
his evening chores, he arrived there in time to
find the old folks very sensibly in bed, and
etiquette only demanded that he leave before
daylight.
William Cole, a brother of Daniel, when
about 1 6, started off with the dogs to bring
in the cows which were wandering in the for-
est. Suddenly the dogs rushed forward and
he heard a tremendous barking. He hurried
forward and found them standing guard over
a large hollow log, and from their actions was
satisfied it was an animal of which they were
afraid. He stole cautiously forward and
found a small bear had sought safety in the
hollow log. The boy was unarmed, but he
secured a heavy club, and boldly caught the
bear by the hind legs, to pull him out of the
log, the dogs previously attacking the animal,
their sharp teeth making the bear get out into
the open as quickly as possible. Young Cole
seized the club, and dealt the bear a savage
blow on the head. The bear responded by a
rush at Cole, who defended himself with his
club, while the dogs made vicious attacks on
the bear, and when the animal had to turn to
defend himself from the dogs. Cole used his
club to such advantage, that between him and
the dogs the bear was killed. Both Cole and
the dogs were badly scratched and bruised,
and he returned home where he told his story
to the great astonishment of his father, who
refused to credit it, until he had gone out and
brought in the bear.
William's brother Daniel went on a visit to
a relative near West Liberty, and one morn-
ing started home at daylight his only com-
panion being a large bull dog belonging to
Enoch Baker. He had not gone far into the
woods before he found a pack of wolves were
on his trail. He hurried forward, but the
wolves were soon on both sides of him more
than a dozen of them, and one large one, the
leader of the pack, was about to spring on
him, when the dog seized the animal by the
throat giving the boy time to climb into a
small iron-wood tree. The dog had the wolf
down, but the brute managed to shake himself
free, and the whole pack then slunk away into
the woods.
One day Seth Hawks heard the squealing of
one of his hogs, and started immediately to see
what the trouble was, neglecting to take his
gun with him. A quarter of a mile from his
cabin he came upon a large log and behind it
was his hog, with two large bears attacking it.
The bears saw Hawks and made a rush for
him. Hawks made a run for it, and with a
desperate spring caught the branches of a
small tree, and swung himself over the limb,
as the bears oassed beneath him. The in-
furiated animals endeavored to climb the tree,
but it was too small. They then tried to leap
high enough to get their claws on the scared
man and sometimes the bear managed to strike
the frail limb almost shaking him off. He
called loudly for assistance and fortunately
his wife heard him, and hurried for help to
their nearest neighbor, who was Rodolphus
Morse, and in half an hour he arrived, and
on seeing him approach the bears quickly left
and were lost in the woods.
The forests were swarming with squirrel;
they were so plentiful that there was no ex-
citement of the hunt in killing them, besides
deer and turkeys were more plentiful for
game, but- the squirrel were a nuisance. They
infested the fields of the farmer, ate his
planted grain and injured his crops, and fre-
quently squirrel hunts were arranged to get
rid of the troublesome little fellows. At one
famous squirrel hunt, sides were chosen
with Thomas Cooker captain of one team and
Enoch Baker of the other. When the two
parties met at night each had slain their hun-
dreds and while they were in doubt as to which
side belonged the victory, Baker added to his
pile a huge catamount he had killed, and to
him the victory was given.
David Cummins built a saw mill on the
Honey Creek in section 17. It was a small
frame structure, and run by water power, a
dam being built. This was about 1827, but
there was little demand for lumber, most of
the_ pioneers being contented with their log
cabins. Prior to its erection the few frame
184
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
houses erected were built of lumber obtained
a dozen miles away on the Mohican or on the
Huron rivers. In 1855 the saw mill was aban-
doned, after passing through several hands.
About 1830 Rev. Thomas Millard came to the
township and settled in the northwest quarter
of section 17, and on the banks of the Honey
creek he erected a saw mill. One section was
supplied with mill stones made of nigger
heads, and wheat and corn were ground, which
was a great convenience to the people, as pre-
viously they were obliged to go to New Haven
to have grain ground.
The mill was a large frame one, a dam hav-
ing been built to furnish the power. After
running the mill for a dozen years, Mr. Mil-
lard leased it to Enoch Baker, for which he
was to receive half the profits, but the arrange-
ment proved unprofitable to Baker, ;and he
quit the business and a few years later Mil-
lard sold out to Rufus Page. Although the
mills turned out a good brand of flour, there
was not enough business to make it profitable,
and the grinding of grain was abandoned. In
1836 Coykendall & Ladow built a saw mill on
Coykendall creek in section 10. At first the
mill was operated by water power, but too
much of the year there was not sufficient
water, so steam was introduced. The mill
burned down, but the business was good and
it was immediately rebuilt. There now being
a demand for lumber to replace the log houses
about 1840 William Ewing built a mill on the
Coykendall creek, further up the stream, and
this was continued for twenty years before it
was abandoned. Another grist mill was built
by Jonathan Davis and William Crouse at
Mechanicsburg, half a mile north of Tiro, but
it was only run four years, when it was moved
away. The usual price at the mill for sawing
was 40c. per hundred feet, or one half the
logs. About 1883 the citizens of Tiro and the
surrounding farmers raised $4,000 and gave
it to Thornberg & Haskell as an inducement
fort them to start a mill in the village. A very
large frame building was erected, it was fur-
nished with all the modern machinery, and
was a success from the start. It was erected
just south of the railroad track, with every
convenience for shipment, and here grain is
either ground, or bought and shipped, and the
having of a fine mill in easy access has been a
profitable business both to the firm and to the
farmers.
The township being largely settled by peo-
ple from New England they were a Sunday
observing class and as early as 18 18 services
were held in the larger cabins, when some
traveling minister came among^ the pioneers.
The pioneers were all strict observers of the
Sabbath, and generally knew when the day
came around, although watches and clocks
were hardly known in the township and alma-
nacs were scarce. One Sunday morning Ro-
dolphus Morse had had his usual family wor-
ship, and was doing the necessary feeding,
when he heard the voice of Seth Hawks, his
nearest neighbor, shouting to his oxen. The
noise continued and Mr. Morse thought it best
to go across and see what was the cause of this
unseemly disturbance on the Sabbath day, Mr.
Hawks being one of the strictest Presbyterians
in the neighborhood. Reaching the barn of
Hawks he found his neighbor very busily en-
gaged in driving a yoke of oxen around the
puncheon floor on which was a heavy spread
of grain, and in this way was threshing his
wheat. Mr. Morse asked him what he meant
by working on the Sabbath day, and Hawks
discovered he had mistaken the day, thinking
it was Saturday. He promptly unhitched his
oxen, retired to the house, and finished the
day in fasting and prayer.
By 1 82 1 it was found necessary to erect
churches and both the Methodists and Baptists
that year built small log churches, organized
their societies, and preaching was more regu-
lar. The Presbyterians, Winebrennarians
(Church of God) and English Lutherans or-
ganized societies and held services at irregular
intervals. In 1830, Avhen Rev. Thomas Mil-
lard settled on section 19 he donated two acres
of land for church purposes. He was an earn-
est and indefatigable worker in the vineyard
of the Lord. Erecting his saw mill, one of the
first uses was the sawing of the lumber for the
new church, and much of the work of the .
building was done by him, and when completed
he was chosen as the first minister of "Good
Will church." The church was built in 1835,
and the congregation thrived and multiplied,
and in 1868 this building became too small,
and a new and larger structure was erected on
the same site in 1868. In the southeastern
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
187
part of the township is the Pleasant Grove
M. E. church, organized in 1850. It is on the
old Portland road, one mile north of the town-
ship line. About 1835 an M. E. church was
built in the northern part of this township, a
mile west of Waynesburg on the road leading
to Plymouth. It was sold to the Winebren-
narians and by them was later moved to the
northeastern part of the township, but the at-
tendance gradually became less and less, and
although still standing it is only used for
funerals and occasional services.
The Baptists held services as early as the
Methodists but they progressed more slowly,
until about 1830 it had an unexpected increase
of membership, and in 1840, a frame church
was erected on section 16, on the farm of
Deacon Howe who was one of the prominent
Baptists and an earnest worker, and did much
to build up the church. This building was
sufificient for the congregation until in 1879
a new and larger one was erected at a cost of
$2,500.
The first Presbyterian services were held
as early as 1825. They were conducted by
Rev. Mr. Wolf, who for years previous had
been a missionary among the Indians and
traveled all over Northern Ohio, establishing
churches, and it was through his work and
efforts a Presbyterian congregation was
formed, and later a church erected.
The United Brethren held services long be-
fore they were strong enough to erect a
church. ' They finally built one near Tiro, and
their present large building was erected in
1878.
St. Mary's Catholic Church, at North Au-
burn, had its origin in the spring of 1879,
when the Catholics living in the neighborhood
of Waynesburg met together to devise some
plan whereby Sunday services could be held
and a Sunday school started nearer than New
Washington. It was decided to erect a frame
structure on a corner of the old Faeth farm,
which was accordingly done, Father Am-
adeus Dambach being the first pastor. He
was called away in the summer of 1881 and
the church then became a mission of the New
Washington church. Rev. Laurence Heiland
ministering to the two congregations from
1 88 1 to 1888. The Rev. George Vogt was
then assigned as pastor and during his form
of service the church was frescoed and stained
glass windows were substituted for the old
plain glass panes. Father Vogt donating one
window and Father Horstman another. In
1899 Rev. John Kunnert took charge of the
church at New Washington and the mission
of St. Mary's. During his term as pastor a
basement was dug and the building equipped
with a furnace; and the somewhat high
church tower was lowered for considerations
of safety. In July, 1906 Rev. G. M. Schmidz
was appointed as resident priest of St. Marys,
and under him various church organizations
were established. These are the Christian
Mother Society, which has a membership of
thirty-seven; the St. Agnes Sodality and St.
Aloysius Sodality, in which the young women
and young men of the parish are respectively
enrolled. The parish now numbers about 60
families. In connection with the parish there
is a successful parochial school. Father
Schmidz was ordained at Baltimore, Md. in
1904 by Cardinal Gibbons. Besides acting as
pastor of St. Mary's he supplies St. An-
thony's church, which he organized three
years ago.
The first school house was built on the farm
of Robert Cook in 182 1. It was a small log
structure and built by the settlers. A school-
house being necessary, a day was fixed and the
settlers in that section all turned out, selected
the site, cut down the trees, did not stop to
hew the logs, but put them in round, and by
nightfall the building was up. A roof of
clapboards was added and a floor; the crevices
between the logs were filled with mud. It was
a small cabin, and the fire place occupied al-
most one end of the room, while at the other
was the teacher's desk, this desk and the
benches being made by the pioneers. The pu-
pils had no desks. John Talford was the first
teacher, during the winter of 182 1-2, and he
had about fifteen scholars. About 1823 a
young lady named Mary Wilcox was the first
female teacher in the township, having a
school in an old abandoned cabin, in the Ham-
mond neighborhood. It had been fitted up
with benches, and the following year a school
house was erected on the Hammond farm, the
settlers in that section turning out to do the
work. It was of logs but larger than the first
sclinol linuse. Amos Morse attended this
1S8
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
school, when a boy of five, passing through
the forest daily about two miles from his
father's farm to the school building. He
states the benches were very uneven, having
been split out of wood having a crooked grain.
Unfortunately, he was so small his feet could
not touch the floor, and here he was compelled
to sit hour after hour to learn his letters. The
early part of the day it was fairly easy to
occupy the seat without slipping off, but the
discomfort became torture as the day wore
on. Among the first teachers in this school
house were Erastus Sawyer and Daniel W.
Ross. In 1824 Rodolphus Morse was the
teacher and from some cause the building
caught fire and was burned down, but the bal-
ance of the term was completed in an aban-
doned cabin near the school house, which was
hurriedly fitted up with home-made benches.
Everything was destroyed by the fire, most of
the books of the pupils, which were generally
left in the school room.
In 1824 another school building was erected
on what is now the Willford farm, a mile east
of Waynesburg, with a young man named
John Webber as the teacher. Webber was a
very lively young man, and although he was
conducting the school successfully the staid
old directors had their doubts, and one day
William Laughertv, one of the directors, was
irritated at his latest boyish prank, and went
to the school house and ordered him to leave.
Webber saw it was useless to argue with the
irate director, so he gathered up his books, and
left the school room, demonstrating that he
was decidedly full of fun and entitled to his
reputation as being a lively boy, by pausing
at the door long enough to paralyze the hor-
rified director with a parting blast :
"Farewell schoolroom, farewell school,
Farewell Laugherty, you d d old fool."
The school being without a teacher, Mr.
Laugherty finished the term himself.
About 1825 a school house was built on the
farm of Adam Aumend and another on that
of Jesse Ladow, and some years later one in
the northwestern part of the township, so that
prior to 1830 the entire township was con-
veniently supplied with school houses.
The first village laid out in the township was
Waynesburg. It is one of the eldest of the
now abandoned towns in the county. It was
laid out by John Stewart, the surveyor of
Richland county, in the spring of 1833, as the
plat was filed in the office of the county re-
corder at Mansfield, on May 16, 1833. The
new town was on one of the important roads,
the nearest town to the east being Plymouth
and on the west Attica. It was called
Waynesburg after Gen. Anthony Wayne, and
was laid out on land belonging to Aaron Cory
and Richard Miller. It had twenty-six lots,
all facing Main street, that street being the
public road from Plymouth to Sycamore and
McCutchenville. The north and south street
was called Market, and on both sides of each
street was an alley. This constituted the town.
There were two or three cabins in the neigh-
borhood when the town was started, and sev-
eral farmers bought lots, expecting to realize
a handsome profit when the village prospered,
but their expectations were doomed to disap-
pointment, as later in the same year New
Washington, three miles west was laid out,
and eventually became the town in that sec-
tion. The lots at Waynesburg were sold at
auction, bringing $8 to $10 each. Enoch
Baker bought one of the corner lots for $10,
and shrewdly hesitated about paying the cash
until the town showed symptoms of making
the investment profitable. Later the town
looked as if it would be a success, and he of-
fered his $10, but the price was refused, the
lot being then held at $20, and Baker declined
to stand the raise. Very few shops were
started in the new village. John M. Robison
started a blacksmith shop a few rods west of
the town in 1835, and followed the business
until his death, after which it was run by his
son Robert for many years. Reuben Frisbie
opened a general store in 1835. He was a
natviral business man. He had only $60 cash,
but he borrowed $500 of his brother, and with
this capital he started his store. He was a
careful buyer and shrewd trader, and in eight
years had paid off his original debt and had a
capital of $5,000. About 1840 Frisbie had
opposition when Anderson & Moore opened a
store with $2,500 stock, but Frisbie still did
the bulk of the business and they sold out to
Rufus Page. Later Frisbie discontinued his
store, and Page did a good business for eight
or ten years when he sold to Baker & Sims, the
firm eventually becoming Sims & Son, and
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
189
finally, business constantly decreasing, the
store was closed. Bear & Grafmiller also had
a store, of which Bear became sole proprietor
and later sold to Enoch Baker. In 1858 Jo-
seph Kerr started a small grocery. Martin
Clark started a tavern. By 1848, the village
had become an important enough center to
have a postoffice, and on July 13th of that year
James K. Davis, who kept the principal store
in the village, was appointed as postmaster.
He held the office for fifteen years, and May
20, 1863, was succeeded by William D. Sims,
who in turn was followed by Martin Clark,
May 26, 1865. On January 24, 1876, he was
succeeded by Nancy Clark, who held the office
a little over a year, when it was discontinued
in July 8, 1877. For years the town had been
on the decline, what little business there was
gradually being abandoned. The Mansfield
and Coldwater road had passed to the south of
it, and the Pittsburg, Akron & Western, from
Carey had come straight east for over thirty
miles on a direct line for Waynesburg, and
when it reached New Washington, only three
miles away, it bore to the north and passed by
the little village and established a station a
mile away called North Auburn, and here on
January 17, i8gi, George S. McKee was
made postmaster, succeeded May 16, 1896, by
Adam P. Miller and he October 27, 1898,
by A. M. Cramer. All that today remains of
Waynesburg, are a few houses falling into de-
cay, and nearly all the original twenty-six
town lots are again converted into farming
land. And North Auburn, the post office, is
only a railroad station.
Half a mile north of the present village of
Tiro, between 1845 and 1850 several me-
chanics settled at the point where the road
running from West Liberty and DeKalb to
Waynesburg crosses the angling road from
Bucyrus to Plymouth. Samuel Hilborn and
Israel H. Irwin had blacksmith shops there
and S. B. Raudabaugh was a cabinetmaker
and carpenter. A cooper shop was also lo-
cated there, and later Jonathan Davis and
William Grouse ran a grist mill, and for a
time these enterprises were all successful, and
a dozen families were located at the crossing,
and it had the appearance of a little village, al-
though it was never laid out in town lots. It
was known to the people as Mechanicsburg.
As the years passed the little shops were dis-
continued, and when the town of Tiro was
laid out with a railroad the last little shop was
discontinued, and what was Mechanicsburg
is now a collection of houses on the outskirts
of that thriving little village.
When Rodolphus Morse settled two miles
north of the present village of Tiro, he be-
came an active citizen and Dec. 12, 1825, was
appointed the first postmaster, the office being
in his cabin. He was succeeded on Jan. 3,
1835, by David C. Morrow, who held the of-
fice for twenty-six years, and on July 5, 1861,
Ezekiel Dougherty became postmaster, fol-
lowed Feb. 14, 1870, by M. D. Morse, and on
March 17, 1870, by Amos Morse, who held
the office until it was moved to Tiro in 1874.
In the early days the post office was called both
Tiro and Auburn.
When the Mansfield, Coldwater and Lake
Michigan road was built it passed through the
southwestern corner of Auburn township, en-
tering the township at what is now the village
of Tiro. Half a mile south of this point was
the small but very old village of De Kalb in
Vernon township. Where Tiro now stands
the railroad established a station and called it
De Kalb. J. D. Brown laid out forty lots on
the southeast quarter of section 22, and they
were promptly disposed of and buildings
erected. In November, 1878, John Hilborn
made an addition to the land of eighty lots.
The Tiro postoffice was transferred to the new
town and Ira Van Tilburg was appointed
postmaster on Jan. 22, 1874; he was suc-
ceeded by M. L. Callin, Dec. 15, 1884, and he
by Willis A. Brown Aug. 6, 1885, and he by
John O. Davis Aug. 16, 1889; Willis Brown
again Aug. 18, 1893, and J. M. Van Tilburg
July 23, 1897, who has held the office ever
since and is a nephew of the first postmaster.
In 1882 the De Kalb post office, one mile
south, was discontinued, being consolidated
with Tiro.
J. and B. S. Van Tilburg started the first
store in the new village in 1872, the following
year erecting a substantial brick for their use.
In 1876 a drug store was started by William
Flavin. In 1878 J. D. Brown opened a dry
goods and general store; and in 1880 Davis
& Mitchell started a store with general mer-
chandise. Charles McConnell started a notion
190
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
store and Misses Crall & Owens a millinery
and dress making establishment. In 1883, the
present large flouring mill was opened for
business. In 1893 the little village was thriv-
ing and the Tiro American was started, a
small weekly, which had a struggling existence
for three years, and then died a natural death,
and some years later a neighboring printer
bought the plant and moved it away. On
Aug. 3, 191 1, the field was again occupied by
W. W. Davis with the Tiro Weekly World.
Tiro was incorporated as a village in 1890,
and the first election was held on Dec. 12th of
that year when Charles McConnell was elected
mayor, C. M. Smith, clerk, and J. M. Van Til-
burg, treasurer. The first councilmen were
J. H. Stevens, John O. Davis, D. C. Robinson,
James Hanna, J. W. Burget and A. J. Mauk.
The first meeting of the Council was held
on Dec. 29th, and the first resolution passed
was to borrow $300 "to defray incidental ex-
penses that have accrued and may accrue, un-
til such time as funds can be raised by munici-
pal taxes." J. H. Stevens, John O. Davis and
D. C. Robinson were appointed a committee
to borrow the money.
The next meeting on Jan. 5th showed the
credit of Tiro was good, and that the ladies
were interested in the little village, as the com-
mittee reported they had borrowed the money
of Miss Viola Chapman, for fourteen months
at six per cent. The note was signed not only
by the committee but by every councilman.
The first ordinance was introduced by John O.
Davis. "Ordinance No. i. An ordinance to
prohibit ale, beer and porter houses, and other
places where intoxicating liquors are sold at
retail." Tiro is the only village in the county
where saloons never existed. The puritanic
views of the early settlers are largely inherited
by their descendants, and it is a very law abid-
ing communitv. Some years ago, some of the
wags of the villag-e during the night put up
posters, announcing a game of foot ball was
to be played in Tiro, the following Sunday be-
tween teams of two neighboring towns. Ev-
ery citizen left his home and was on the
streets, crowds gathered everywhere, men and
women in indignant protest against such an
unheard of sacrilege of the sanctity of the
Sabbath. "The mayor looked blue and so did
the corporation, too." Backed by a practically
unanimous public opinion the corporation of-
ficers stood firm; if necessary, the National
Guard at Bucyrus and Gallon would be ap-
pealed to ; the sheriff of the county must pre-
serve the law, and many of the citizens passed
a sleepless night prior to the sacred day, when
a foot ball game was to be played. The
marshal was early abroad and on the watch;
the citizens waited with anxious eye the com-
ing of the degenerate teams, but the day passed
as quietly as usual and it leaked out the bills
were a pure "fake" put up as a joke. How-
ever, it demonstrated that the fourth com-
mandment must be kept sacred in Tiro, and it
is. They have three churches — the Presby-
terian, Baptist and United Brethren, and all
have good congregations and are in a flourish-
ing condition.
Charles McConnell was elected as mayor
until the year 1907 when he was defeated by
James Cahill, but in 1909, he was again
elected, and died a few months afterward, be-
ing succeeded by the President of the Council,
G. O. Blair, who was elected to the office in
November, 191 1.
C. M. Smith was succeeded as clerk by J. E.
Clark, F. W. Carmichael, J. E. Brown, J. E.
Jones, E. A. Burroughs, Frank F. Rouda-
baugh, W. H. Guiss, Charles McConnell, 1907
to 1909, and C. D. Schilling, the present in-
cumbent was elected in 1909 and 191 1.
In August, 1879, Tiro Lodge No. 688 In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows was insti-
tuted with seven charter members, Daniel
Howe, Cornelius Fox, E. E. Ashley, S. W.
Jeffrey, J. R. Hall, Lewis Williams and Mat-
thew Irwin. The first officers were S. W. Jef-
frey, N. G. ; J. R. Hall, V. G. ; Cornelius Fox,
Sec'y ; E. E. Ashley, Treas. The present mem-
bership of the lodge is about fifty.
On May 24, 1893, Tiro Lodge No. 592 was
instituted by Demas Lodge of Bucyrus, with
twenty-eight charter members : W. A. Brown,
W. H. Guiss, W. F. McConnell, B C. Ramsey,
J. C. Davis, I. M. Vantilburg, I. E. Jones, A.
E. Fox, J. M. Dickson, A. C. Robinson, A. F.
Cline, J. M. Michener, F. F. Shilling, H. L.
Raudabaugh, Charles McConnell, E. T. Hil-
born, T. S. Melchior, S. A. Stock, A. E. Gaff,
Paul Galehr, I. E. Brown, James Hart, \Y. M.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
191
Ovens, E. B. Rex, F. W. May, E. A. Yarnell,
F. W. Carmichel, R. E. Sawyer. The lodge
now has a membership of 102.
In April, 1896, Willis A. Brown organ-
ized the Farmers and Citizens Bank. Among
those interested in the bank with Mr. Brown
were J. D. Brown, A. C. Robinson and John
E. Brown; A. C. Robinson was the president,
and W. A. Brown, the cashier. The capital
stock was $10,000. While the bank was a
great convenience to the people of that section
the growing business of the village made it a
profitable investment, and the capital stock
was increased to $25,000. Of the original
founders of the bank, W. A. Brown is the only
one now connected with the institution, and
he has remained its cashier since its organiza-
tion. Mr. Robinson was succeeded as presi-
dent by J. M. Dickson, and on his death, Sher-
man Daugherty became president, a position
he still holds.
In 1900 Tiro had a population of 293,
which was increased to 321 in 1910. It has
several good stores, a number of shops, a hotel,
and the principal street has a fine stone pave-
ment extending almost its entire length, on
both sides. Two physicians are located in
Tiro, Dr. G. O. Blair and R. M. Guiss and the
village is remarkably healthy, the principal
cause of death being old age. It is well lighted
and has an abundance of good water. Its
town hall is conveniently located, and its peo-
ple are contented, prosperous and happy.
Nearly all own their own homes and many
of them are men, who have worked hard in
their younger days, and now in the pretty vil-
lage they are passing their declining years en-
joying that freedom from care and worry they
have so well earned.
John Hilborn lived with his father on the
road that passed north of Tiro, the road from
Bucyrus to Plymouth, part of the way near
his father's it crossed a swamp half a mile in
width ; this had a corduroy road bed, and even
with these it was sometimes almost impass-
able, and many a time he took his father's
team to assist in extricating some wagon
loaded with wheat on its way to the market at
Milan.
About a mile northeast of Waynesburg
was the Baker farm, and just east of Waynes-
burg Honey creek makes a sudden turn to the
east; in the earlier day it continued in a north-
easterly direction and meandered through the
Baker farm, and for half the year his land was
under water, and during the wet spring his
house, which was on a mound, was completely
surrounded by water. At his own expense
Mr. Baker cut a channel for the creek straight
north so that it passed half a mile east of his
house, and Honey creek today from the
Waynesburg road north is almost as straight
as a section line. The cost was over $1,000,
exclusive of the time and labor of Mr. Baker,
but the wisdom of the investment was demon-
strated by the fact that the cost was paid for
in a very few years by the increased crops.
In the earlier days, the entire northern part
of the township was a vast marsh filled with
cranberries, and the earlier settlers found it
a profitable business to gather these cran-
berries for the market. The reclaiming of the
marsh land by ditching has made much of it
farming land, but still cranberries can be
found and the past year Lafayette Akers
gathered about three bushel in one day. In
the extreme northern section is the lower part
of the great Pittsburg farm, where vegetable
gardening is conducted in a wholesale way.
The Pittsburg company thoroughly drained
the entire section. A dam was erected on the
Coykendall creek, and a mud scow containing
the machinery was used, and the accumula-
tions of years taken from the bottom of the
creek, sometimes at a depth of six to eight
feet coming across fallen trees with trunks
over a foot in diameter. This entire swamp
land in the centiiries had been filled up a little
each season by the decaying grass and trees
which made it when drained such a wealth-
producing soil. In the preparation of roads,
in . later years, through the forests and
swamps, traps were frequently unearthed sev-
eral feet underground which had been origin-
ally placed by Pettigon, Morehead or one of
the early settlers.
The Baker house in the northwestern part
of the township was on a small mound, and
this was once a large Indian burying-ground.
Indian remains were first discovered by Mr.
Baker in 1833 when he dug a well on the
mound, and at a depth of about eighteen inches
came upon four skeletons lying side by side,
two with their heads to the east and two to
192
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
the west. No hunting implements or articles
of clothing were found, and on being exposed
to the air the more fragile portions crumbled
into dust. One of the Indians was very large,
as his jaw bone was large enough to pass over
the jaw of an ordinary man, and the upper
bone of the arm was four inches longer than
that of the average man, and had a corre-
sponding thickness. Later in digging around
the yard fifteen other skeletons have at differ-
ent times been found, and in no case was any
war instrument found with them as is custom-
ary in the burial of an Indian warrior. These
were all buried near the surface. In 1866 when
digging a cellar nine more were unearthed,
these, too, having some with their heads to the
east and others to the west. Since the first
discovery in 1833, as many as thirty skeletons
have been unearthed on the mound on which
the residence stands and those last discovered
show no greater signs of decomposition than
the earlier ones, indicating they had lain there
for several centuries.
In April, 1887, J. D. Michener, while dig-
ging a ditch for Herbert Duboise on the old
Green farm in the southeastern part of the
township found a number of bones of some
pre-historic animal, one part of a tooth 6^
by 4 inches in length and 20 inches in circum-
ference. It weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces.
Several smaller teeth were found weighing
about a pound. All other bones except these
teeth had long since mouldered to decay.
About two miles northeast of Tiro is the
Hanna grave yard, and as far as pioneer lore
is concerned this little country grave yard goes
back to the earliest days, and contains more
pioneers than any other burial site in the
county. The oldest stone here is that of John
Snyder, who died Dec. i, 1821. He was born
in 1764. Daniel Daugherty is buried here;
born April 23. 1776. the year and the month
"the shot was fired heard round the world."
He died N'ov. 26. 1876, over a hundred years
old. Here lies Seth Hawks, the pious Pres-
b)^erian, who forgot the Sabbath day. He
was born July 2, 1793, foughtin the War of
181 2, and died July 20, 1824. Another vet-
eran of the War of 1812 was Rudolphus
Morse, born April 26, 1791, and died Oct. 11,
1872. Here lies also Andrew Varnica, the
hermit, born in Prussia, Jan. 24, 1768, lead-
ing his lonely life until March 23, 1847, when
he passed into the presence of his maker carry-
ing his secret with him. Here are other
graves of those in this one burial spot who
belong to the days of over a century ago :
Jonathan Ashley, born Aug. 9, 1775; died
Nov. 3, 1852.
Jonas Ashley, born Nov. 26, 1797; died
Sept. 26, 1862. "
P. J. Archer, born Feb. 2, 1790; died April
24, -1845.
Adam Aumend, born Nov. 12, 1799; died
June 30, 1882.
John Blair, born 1777; died Sept. 19, 1847.
George Bloom, born March 30, 1791; died
July 9, 1865.
John Burchard, born March 1790; died
June 5, i88r. ' '
Joseph Champion, born Aug. 9, 1781; died
June 8, 1845.
David Cummings, born Feb. 27, 1772; died-
Dec. 27, 1855.
David Cummings, born May 4, 1781 ; died
Aug. 17, 1841.
Joshua Chilcott, born April 3, 1761 ; died,
July 3, 1837.
Benjamin Chilcott, born April 5, 1799; died
Aug. 30, 1824.
Tiwecke Dewitt, born 1790; died Sept. 22,.
1823.
John Frazee, born Jan. 27, 1770; died Dec.
I, 1859.
John Frazee, born July 25, 1799; died Dec.
4, 1862.
William Green, born Nov. 8, 1778; died
April 21, 1862.
Benjamin Griffith, born Aug. 16, 1782; died
Feb. 9, 1840.
George Hammond, born May 20, 1789; died
Dec. 30, 1868.
Aaron B. Howe, born Feb. 3, 1782; died
April 20, 18 q 3.
Samuel Harley, born Sept. 24, 1776; died"
Aug. 6, 1841.
Samuel Hanna, born Sept. 2, 1795; died
June 2, 1862.
Harvey Hoadley, bom Feb. 9, 1798; died
June 17, 1897.
William Jameson, born Aug. 21, 1779; died
Aug. 26. 1846.
Isaac Hilborn, bom July 20, 1799; died
April 30, 1864.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
193
Frederick Myers, born 1768; died June 20,
1843-
James McCrea, born Feb. 14, 1773; died
Dec. 31, 1850.
John L. Metcalf, born March 7, 1775; died
June 19, 1871.
Charles Morrow, born Jan. i, 1777; died
Dec. 4, 1845.
Thomas Pope, born June i, 1782 ; died Feb.
22, 1849.
Daniel Trago, born May 5, 1796; died Jan.
3, 1876.
Peter Vanorsdoll, born 1790; died Dec. 14,
1834.
John Wilson, born March 31, 1799; died
May 10, 1861.
Joseph William, born July 17, 1765; died
Dec. 27, 1836.
The Handley grave yard is one mile north-
AK„i r* Ti^r.^ u -Mr o o J- J T 1 west of Tiro; here the first mterment was
Abel C. Ross, born May 8, 1800; died July ,,r.„. tt ji 1. u ■ a
12 1870 William Handley who was born in 1791, and
Robert Ralston, born April 26, 1768; died f^^ ^"^^^f 'T ^T'^u P'°"''' '' j^""
Oct. 26, 1 8^4..
drew McCaskey, born March 17, 1791; died
James Ralston, born Jan. i, 1799; died ^^P*- i7» 1867. , ^ ^ ,,,-,.
Sent I 1888 Other cemeteries are at the Good Will
Robert Robinson, born 1783; died May 14, church; another on the farm now owned by
i8[^, ' August Herzer, one mile east of Waynesburg,
Erastus Sawyer, born Oct. 10, 1800; died and the Baptist cemetery near the Howe
July 12, 1870. farm.
CHAPTER IX
BUCYRUS TOWNSHIP
Creation of the Township — Location and Topography — Drainage — First Settlers — In-
dian Sugar Camp — Early Mills — The Notions — Zalmon Rowse — Colored Pioneers — Or-
ganization and Election in 1824 — Josiah Scott — A Township Treasurer's Responsibili-
ties— Some Early Officials — Churches and Schools — A Traveling Schoolhouse — Miss
Monnett's Donation — Early Taverns — Farming Operations — Indian Trails — Roads — An
Ancient Sword — Cemeteries.
First Norton and the Beadles came,
With friends (an enterprising band),
Young and McMichael, men of fame,
Soon joined the others, hand in hand;
By various plans t' improve the lands.
They early rise with every morn,
Near where the town Bucyrus stands,
All on Sandusky's rural bourn.
— CoL. Kilbourne's Song of Bucyrus.
Bucyrus township was named after the town
of Bucyrus, the town being named between
Oct. 1st and Dec. 15, 182 1. It was created by
the commissioners at Delaware in 1822,
and consisted of territory 12 miles wide ex-
tending from the southern boundary of the
present Bucyrus township to the present
northern boundary of the county, the present
Bucyrus, Holmes, Lykens, Chatfield, Liberty
and part of Cranberry and Whetstone town-
ships by surveyor's maps, township i, 2 and 3,
range 16, east, and township i, 2 and 3, range
17 east. Later the commissioners of Delaware
county created the township of Bucyrus as it
at present exists, and on Dec. 7, 1824, the
journal of the Marion county commissioners
contains the following entry : "On application
of citizens of surveyed fractional township
three of range 16 an order was issued to or-
ganize the original fractional township 3 of
range 16." While six miles square the town-
ship was called fractional as the western two
and a third miles of the township was Indian
reservation. Bucyrus township was then in
the southeastern part of the county and when
the charter was granted for the Columbus and
Sandusky turnpike, the Legislature gave the
company 31,360 acres of land, 49 sections,
"along the western side of the Columbus and
Sandusky turnpike, in the eastern part of
Crawford, Marion and Seneca counties."
Before Bucyrus township was formed it was
a part of Sandusky township, perhaps all of
the present Crawford being that township, as
on April 15, 1821, the Delaware commission-
ers appointed Joseph Young and Westell
Ridgely as justices of the peace for Sandusky
township. Young then lived near Bucyrus and
Ridgely near Leesville, neither place being then
in existence. These were the officials in Craw-
ford county.
South of Bucyrus and east of the present
Little Sandusky road the country was the San-
dusky Plains, named by the Indians after the
river. From the river north, the entire north-
western part of the township was forest. The
township was well watered. The Sandusky
river entering in the northeast quarter section
of the township, and running southwesterly
leaves the township two miles from the south-
west corner. Small streams on both sides
empty into this river. A mile and a half south
of the Sandusky, the Little Scioto starts south-
westerly through the township, entering Dal-
las township a mile and a half east of the
western boundary of the township. This little
stream has half a dozen smaller tributaries on
both sides. In the northwestern part. Grass
194
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
195
Run with several branches covers that section,
while in the southwest little streams go south-
ward to the Whetstone. The extensive plains
in the southern part of the county were nearly
all swamp, and most of the year in the early
day under water. In the summer season in
the ages past, the land was covered with a tall
coarse grass, as high as five and six feet ; each
fall this decayed and in years following pro-
duced a rich, soft soil, so that the snows of
winter and the rains of summer kept the sec-
tion covered with marshes. While the land
was almost level, there was occasionally some
slightly rising ground, on which trees grew,
small groves which were called "islands."
The formation of the soil from its decaying
vegetation made it some of the richest farm-
ing land in the county, yet its swampy condi-
tion, and the absence of trees for building" cab-
ins and for fuel in winter made it a section
which few of the early settlers desired to oc-
cupy, and as a result they preferred the wood-
land, with the labor of clearing the forest, and
making their farms by the slow process of
cutting down the trees, rather than the
swampy land nature had already cleared.
Also, the marshy land was unhealthy, and
ague was frequent with the few early settlers
who risked a location in this spot. Some who
came braved it through; others, after a short
trial, abandoned their land, and took up claims
elsewhere; still others, too poor to move, had
to remain, stand their siege of fever and ague
yearly, and start graveyards for their unfor-
tunate little ones. This was the Sandusky
Plains, today spoken of and written of all over
the state as the finest and most fertile section
in Ohio.
The locations of the Sandusky and Scioto
rivers as they traverse the township in the
same southwesterly direction two miles apart,
produce the interesting fact that between these
streams are many buildings from which the
water falling from the roofs, flow on the one
side into the Sandusky and Lake Erie and to
the Atlantic, and on the other into the Scioto,
and through the Ohio and Mississippi to the
Gulf of Mexico. The most noted of these
buildings was the large barn built by Col. Wm.
Monnett in the southeastern part of the pres-
ent city of Bucyrus. It was on a knoll, sev-
eral hundred feet southwest of the house, in
11
his pasture field. An Indian trail once passed
over this knoll, following along the higher
ground through Bucyrus, and to Upper San-
dusky, and near the barn a generation ago was
to be seen an old Indian well, a hollow syca-
more several feet in the earth where lizards
made their home in the stagnant water; and
men who are grandfathers now, remember
their speculations as to the old well and as to
who planted the wild cherry tree that shared
with the barn and the well a position on the
knoll.
The first settlers in Bucyrus township were
Samuel Norton, with a party of eighteen.
They were the first arrivals in what became
Crawford county in 1820. Crawford county
had not yet been created, the land known as
the New Purchase, being the land purchased
of the Indians by the treaty of 181 7. Later
in the spring of 1819 they left their home in
Luzerne (now Susquehanna) county, the ex-
treme northeastern county of Pennsylvania,
and in 'a big "schooner" wagon, with its
curved canvas top, traveled through the en-
tire length of Northern Pennsylvania, then
half through Ohio, to near Galion, on the
border of the New Purchase, where Norton
had determined to locate. Here he left his
family, and with his brother-in-law Albigence
Bucklin, and Seth Holmes, the driver and
guide of the expedition, who in the War of
1812 had passed through this section, they
started on a prospecting expedition, visiting
the settlers along the Whetstone; but having
come so far, the pioneer fever was on them,
and Holmes told of a better location on a big-
ger river farther to the west, so they wandered
through the tall wild grass of the Sandusky
plains, and finally reached the Sandusky river
where Bucyrus now is. The clear stream run-
ning through the woods, the freshness of the
air, after the dry heat of the plains, and the
level country to the south of the river, all sat-
isfied Norton that on the banks of the San-
dusky was the land he wanted. The three re-
turned to their families and again the march
was taken up of a dozen miles, and in October,
1819, they reached the land selected, and for
three days thev lived in an Indian wigwam,
which was standing on the ground now occu-
pied by the courthouse. The men went to
work and erected a small log house ; there were
196
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
but three of them so the logs were small,
and it was erected on the banKS of the San-
dusky, on the west side of the present San-
dusky avenue bridge, on what is now the land
owned and occupied by C. H. Shonert. Down
the slight bluff Norton had his pretty river,
with its clear pure water; around him were
the forest trees, and he could shoot game from
his door, and find fish in the stream. The
"homestead" being built, a similar log struc-
ture was erected for his brother-in-law, on the
land north of East Mansfield street, and west
of the T. & O. C. road. Here Albigence
Bucklin with his wife and six children and an
adopted daughter Polly moved, the "home-
stead" being occupied by Norton and his wife
and six children, Seth Holmes being sole pro-
prietor and owner by right of discovery of the
Indian wigwam. Here the pioneers passed
their first winter, the woods furnishing them
with an abundance of game, and the meal
brought with them furnishing the bread; the
game was the staple food, and the corn bread
was the luxury. In the Norton cabin on the
banks of the Sandusky, on Feb. i6, 1820, was
born a daughter, who was named Sophronia,
the first white child born in Bucyrus, and the
first white child born in that part of Crawford
west of Richland county.
Fortunately for these early settlers the win-
ter of 1819-20 was very mild; the winter was
put in clearing away the trees, and in Febru-
ary Mr. Norton planted his first crop, showing
how mild the winter had been, and the virgin
soil responded with gladness, for he stated in
after years his first crop was the finest he ever
raised. The nearest settlement was a dozen
miles away on the banks of the Whetstone,
where a few settlers had erected cabins; the
nearest store double that distance, with no
roads, only Indian trails through the forest:
so, as with all early settlers, these pioneers had
to depend on the resources at hand and their
own ingenuity. The children must be clothed
and fed ; the latter was easy owing to nature's
prodigalitv, but the clothing was another mat-
ter. In the house the mother and daughters
spun the flax and wove the cloth into the
coarse garments, and made up the deer skin
into breeches and jackets. Norton made a
trip of about 20 miles to "Friendsborough," a
Quaker settlement in what is now Morrow
county, where he secured ten pounds of wool.
They had brought with them spinning wheels
and a loom and the wool was made into cloth,
and the cloth into clothing. Norton started a
little tannery adjoining his house, the first
business industry in Bucyrus. He tanned the
hides and then manufactured shoes for the
family. He planted an orchard with seeds he
had brought with him from Pennsylvania, and
while waiting for the trees to grow gathered
apples from an orchard across the river
planted by Johnny Appleseed, on the lot now
owned by Hon. E. B. Finley, where even to
this date, a century after, some of the trees
still exist, while of the orchard of Norton not
a tree remains.
While the Nortons and the Bucklins were
the only white i>eople for miles around, they
were not the only inhabitants of the region,
and it was only a few days until the Norton
home was visited by a band of Indians from
the Wyandot reservation. These savages
were always peaceful and had been for years,
but the pioneers had frequently heard in their
eastern home of the cruelties and barbarities
of the savages, and naturally at first they re-
garded these visits with anxiety. When the
men folks were at home, the Indians lay on
the floor of the cabin, with their blankets
wrapped around them, thankful for any food
given them. Occasionally they came when
the men folks were absent, and the children in
their fear would run to their mother, as scared
as themselves. It was a great delight to the
Indians to see the fear their presence created,
and they would whoop, yell and dance, bran-
dishing their knives, and adding to the terrors
of the mother and children. Later, these vis-
its were regarded as a matter of course, the
custom of an Indian always being to drop into
any cabin whenever he pleased and consider
the house as his own. Not infrequently he en-
tered a cabin at night, and without a word,
perhaps with a guttural grunt, wrapped his
blanket around him, and lay down in front of
the fire, and promptly fell asleep, leaving in
the morning without a word. It was soon
found that the Indians were harmless; they
were treated kindly and sometimes brought
game to the family. They greatly enjoyed
seeing people exhibit fear, age or sex being
no bar, hence their wild yells and frantic ac-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
197
tions to frighten the women and children.
The Norton girls state that once they were
playing near the Bucklin home, about where
the old Bucyrus Machine company building
now stands; their game was hide-and-seek,
concealing themselves behind the fallen logs.
An Indian trail ran past this site, and while
they were in hiding behind the logs, a band of
Indians appeared along the trail. One of the
Indians, Charley Elliott, caught a glimpse of
one of the children and he raised a blood curd-
ling yell, which very promptly raised three
girls from behind as many different logs, who
made up their minds home was the best place
for them, and they started at top speed, the
Indians accelerating their flight by all joining
in a series of war cries. The Indians did not
care to follow but evidenced their delight by
wild whooping and howling.
In the spring of 1S20, the cool nights and
the warm days made the best of maple sugar
weather. Where the public square now is
west of it was a grove of maple trees,
and here the Indians established a camp,
tapped the trees and gathered the sap, and
boiled it down into sugar, and the Norton
homestead was swarmed with visiting Indians
while the season lasted. The squaws brought
the kettles, some on horseback, and others
traveling the sixteen miles from their Upper
Sandusky village, carrying the heavy brass
kettle and a pappoose or two besides. Mrs.
Norton visited the camp and was kindly re-
ceived by the Indians, especially by the women,
who showed great friendship for the "pale-
faced squaw."
Norton had settled on his land, built his
cabin, and in 1820, when the land was open
to purchase he went to Delaware and entered
400 acres on the banks of the Sandusky, on
240 of which the central portion of Bucyrus
now stands. The Norton daughters reported
that their father told them that when he
reached Delaware to secure the certificate from
the government for his land, some Quakers
endeavored to persuade him that the lands he
intended entering did not correspond with the
tract he wanted, but their father insisted he
knew the land he wanted. The Quakers were
partly right, as the final survey showed the
Norton land did not extend to the river, but
only to Perry street, and Norton found he had
built his cabin just north of his land. The
cabin was of no value, but Norton hated to
leave his home on the bluff overlooking the
pretty river. He built another cabin, how-
ever, on his own land on the lot that is now
the southeast corner of Spring and Galen
streets. It was a double cabin, had two large
rooms on the lower floor, and was built of
large logs, a cabin raising being held when
the neighbors came, to place the heavy logs into
position. The chimney was of stone for the
first story, and above that it was made of
sticks and mud. It had a large garret for the
children to sleep in, and was for those days a
commodious structure.
After the arrival of the Nortons and the
B-ucklins, the next settler to arrive was a
"squatter," a man who does not enter land;
he "squats" down wherever he pleases, builds
a little cabin, stays as long as he pleases, and
then leaves. Mr. Norton's daughters state
that "One Sunday morning we were awakened
by the crowing of several roosters in the
southwest, and our ears were saluted with the
welcome ring of another pioneer's ax, which
sounds seemed to us, who had so often listened
to the barking and howling of the wolves, the
sweetest music." After a hurried breakfast,
Norton and his wife started out in search of
the newcomers. It was a man named Sears,
who with his wife and family had located on
land just west of where Oakwood cemetery
now is. They had arrived the evening before
with a horse and wagon, and were glad to
meet neighbors in the wilderness. The whole
family returned to the Norton home for a
meal, and the next day Norton, Bucklin and
Holmes put in the day raising a small log
cabin for the new arrivals, and after it was
erected Sears plastered the cracks with mud,
put on the roof, and moved in, the wagon hav-
ing been their sleeping apartment until the
family home was done. While Sears was at
work on his cabin, Seth Holmes took over a
deer and other small game; the Nortons and
the Bucklins sent over honey and other pro-
visions they could spare, and at odd hours as-
sisted in makine the new home habitable. The
Sears family did not stay long; the restless
moving spirit of the "squatter" soon came on
198
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
them again, and they left for parts unknown,
drifting still farther to the west, leaving an
empty cabin behind.
But during the year 1820 other settlers, real
settlers, did arrive. The Beadles were the first
in the spring of that year, David Beadle, with
two sons, Mishael and David, and a son-in-
law, John Ensley. Next came Daniel Mc-
Michael and Joseph Young, and during the
year several others. In his song of Bucyrus
Col. Kilbourne thus gives them:
"First Norton and the Beadles came
■ With friends an enterprising band ;
Young and McMichael, men of fame.
Soon joined the others heart and hand."
Poetry is not the best method of writing his-
tory, as to preserve the rhythm and meter
much of the detail must be omitted, so two of
the first pioneers, Bucklin and Holmes, get
notice as "friends," the same with son-in-law
Ensley. As to Sears, he was not a pioneer and
Col. Kilbourne did well to omit him. Young
and McMichael, although classed as men of
fame, were not more distinguished than Nor-
ton and Beadle, but the necessity of a rhyme
to "came," occurring in the line with their
names, gave them the distinguished honor of
being famous.
The Beadles came across the Plains from
the Quaker settlement of Friendsborough in
Morrow county, and Mishael Beadle had his
cabin on West Mansfield street, where the late
Silas Bowers' residence now is; this was on
the north 40 acres of an 80-acre tract; on the
south 40 acres David Beadle had his cabin,
and with him was his son, David, a young man
of 17; their cabin was near the corner of
Charles and Spring streets. The Norton
daughters and Mrs. Ichabod Rogers state the
Beadles were very migratory, Mishael at one
time living across the river at the northwest
corner of the Tiffin road and North River
street, the old man and young David moving
into Mishael's former cabin on West Mans-
field. John Ensley, with his wife, Ann Bea-
dle, also lived over the river, near Mishael's
second residence. Mishael was married, and
in the summer of 1822, the first death oc-
curred, a little son of Mishael Beadle, and
Norton gave the ground for a burial site, at
the junction of Walnut, Gallon and Middle-
town streets, and here the little boy was
buried, the early pioneers all tendering what
aid and sympathy they could to the afflicted
family. That winter another daughter of
David Beadle, named Clarinda, was married
and later young David took himself a wife.
Mishael Beadle tired of his residence over the
river and entered a tract of land south of the
present Oakwood cemetery, now the Magee
farm, and here he was contented to remain
several years, his brother-in-law entering the
land just east of him, extending to what is
now, the Marion road. The Beadles were as
fond of hunting as they were opposed to work,
and when about 1826, Samuel Myers bought
the original 80-acre tract they had entered
only eight or ten acres had been cleared. The
price paid to the Beadles by Myers for the land
was $6 an acre. About 1827 they moved
west. Bucklin also . left the county, but the
Nortons, the McMichaels and the Youngs are
still here in the third and fourth generations.
Joseph Young entered his first land in section
5, Whetstone township, nearly two miles east
of Bucyrus ; he built a small flouring mill run
by horse power, on the river a mile west of
Bucyrus, where Sinn's dam was later built
with a regular water-power mill; afterward
known as Couts dam. The mill run by horse
power meant with him that a man brings his
grain, hitches his own horse to the mill, and
grinds the grain. He kept no horses himself
at the mill. Later he gave the mill to his son-
in-law, George Black, and a dam was built,
and the mill run by water power and it became
an important mill for years to come. Young
also gave each of his sons 160 acres, as the tax
duplicate of 1830 shows that George, Jacob
and John Young each had 160 acres along the
river near the mill.
Daniel McMichael came to this section in
the fall of 1819, and spent his first winter on
the banks of the Whetstone, eight miles from
Bucyrus. He was there with his family when
Norton was making his trip looking up a loca-
tion. He was in what is now Crawford
county, but then it was a part of Richland
county, in the neighborhood of the Sharrocks.
Daniel McMichael then moved into Liberty
township in the spring of 1820, the first set-
tler in that township, built a grist mill on his
land on the river one mile northeast of Bucy-
rus, the first mill in the county. Then he came
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
199
to Bucyrus erecting a house on his 8o-acre
tract north of the river, on the hill where the
residence of Hon. E. B. Finley now stands.
He also entered 80 acres east of Norton's
land, and 80 acres south of the Norton land,
this 80 being south of Middletown and east
of Walnut streets. He started a small dis-
tillery on the banks of the Sandusky, where
the electric works now are, but he only ran it
a few months. He died in 1825, and for ten
years the settlement of his estate occupied
many entries in the court docket. The ruins
of the old log house he built remained for
many years, until in 1865 they were torn
down and the present handsome building
erected by .John Sims, who a year or two
later sold it to Mr. Finley, the present occu-
pant.
In 1 82 1 Zalmon Rowse came to Crawford
county, and while he settled in Whetstone
township came to Bucyrus the same year,
settling on the land on the south side of the
Gallon road, where for so many years Col.
Wm. Monnett resided. He promptly took an
active hand in the village and county affairs,
and when in 1823, Crawford was attached to
Marion for judicial purposes, Zalmon was the
first justice of the peace, his territory includ-
ing the present three townships in range 16
and 17, and in 1825 was elected county com-
missioner, a position he held at the time
Crawford county was organized, when he
was appointed assessor for the entire county.
When courts were first held here, he was ap-
pointed the first clerk. At the time of the
first court, David H. Beardsley came over
from Marion as clerk to act until the new
court could find a suitable man. They found
him instantly and promptly appointed him in
Zalmon Rowse. Courts up to 1851 appointed
the clerk. Rowse served without any inter-
ruption for 14 years. He was also recorder
during practically the same time; also justice
of the peace, and frequently township clerk,
and now, after nearly a century has passed,
it is a pleasure for any searcher of the an-
cient records, to meet with those kept by Zal-
mon Rowse in any of his multitudinous of-
fices. They are clear and concise, and above
all exact; the writing neat, legible and cor-
rectly spelled. They show he was systematic
and methodical. He was at the head of ev-
ery movement for the building up of his vil-
lage and county. Norton was the founder of
Bucyrus, Kilbourne was the sponsor, Enoch
Merriman was the capitalist, but Zalmon
Rowse was the ceaseless, untiring worker, the
fii'st and greatest booster the town ever had,
and when some really important public im-
provement is made in the future it should
be called Zalmon, in remembrance of the man
who did more than any other one man for
his town. A generation later Stephen, Hor-
ace, Quincy, William and Henry Rowse were
all active business men in this community,
Horace and William building the Rowse
Block that still bears their name; Quincy
owning the woolen mills, Stephen being a
heavy stock-dealer and Henry a rising young
attorney, mayor of the village, but called
away in his early manhood. In his leisure
moments Zalmon Rowse was a farmer, a
contractor and builder, and shone resplendent
once a year in a gorgeous uniform as colonel
of the Ohio militia, having been commis-
sioned lieutenant-colonel in 1825. His duties
as clerk of the court in those days included
those of recorder and probate judge, and for
filling these three offices he received $60 a
year, and never petitioned the legislature for
an increase of salary. When the Columbus
and Sandusky turnpike was incorporated, he
was a director; when the Pennsylvania and
Indiana road was built, he was for a time sec-
retary, and when the Masons organized a
lodge here, he was a charter member. He
built the brick building still standing on the
old Monnett farm, and he built the American
House in 1831, which stood on the northwest
corner of Sandusky and Warren streets. In
1835 he united with the M. E. church, and un-
til his death was one of the pillars of that or-
ganization. The Rowses. once so prominent
here, have all moved away, and the only ones
now recalled are Edith Chesney, a great-
granddaughter, her mother being Cora
Rowse, her grandfather William Rowse, and
another great-granddaughter Lucille Lewis,
daughter of Lily Rowse, who was a daugh-
ter of Stephen D. Rowse; a great-grandson,
Allen Campbell, son of Eva R'owse, who was
a daughter of Horace Rowse. Zalmon Rowse
died in Bucyrus, Aug. 1=;. 1854.
Heman Rowse, a brother of Zalmon, set-
200
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
tied in Whetstone township in 1822, and the
following year moved to Bucyrus township,
purchasing 80 acres on the pike just south of
Bucyrus. He was killed while assisting at a
house raising southwest of the village in 183 1.
Seth Holmes, who came with the Nortons,
entered some land in Whetstone township,
but lived in the town and died here about
1826. He never married. He was Bucyrus'
first old bachelor. His brother, Truman came
to Bucyrus township in 1823 or 1824, with
four sons, Lyman, Henry, Elisha and Zalmon.
One of the daughters of Truman Holmes
married Rensselaer Norton.
Elisha, Thaddeus, David and John Kent
came about 1821, Elisha entering the 80-acre
tract on Plymouth street, which was the Kerr
farm for so many years and later the Hall
farm. Abel Gary came to the township in
1 82 1, and was followed by Lewis Gary in
1822, with a wife and nine children. A year
or two later his brother Aaron came. The
Carys all settled in Bucyrus village.
Amos Glark settled on 80 acres southwest
of Sandusky and Charles, his cabin being near
the present residence of E. B. Monnett. He
also owned 38 acres north of town and do-
nated a portion of it for the burying ground
on the Tiffin road.
In 1826 Gen. Samuel Myers came and pur-
chased of the Beadles the 80 acres west of
Spring street, and also entered a tract south
of Bucyrus. Later he received the commis-
sion of general in the Ohio militia.
George and John Shroll came in 1830,
George having 138 acres, a part of which is
now Oakwood cemetery. John had 140 acres
west of this, where later Judge Summers re-
sided, and still later known as the William
Magee farm. He was an elder in the Lu-
theran church. About July i, 1835, business
called him to Sandusky City; he arrived to
find cholera raging there. He hurriedly trans-
acted his business and returned home, but he
had exposed himself and he was stricken with
the dread disease and died. His faithful
brother Daniel hurried to his assistance and
tended him to the last. Daniel was a deacon
in the church of which his brother was elder,
and his soul passed into the presence of his
Maker, sustained and soothed by his faithful
brother. But family loyalty and brotherly
faithfulness must look for their reward in the
world above, for in ministering to his brother,
Daniel himself caught the fatal disease and
died, and if ever a man received the grand
words as he entered the pearly gates of "Well
done, good and faithful servant, enter thou
into the joys of the Lord," that man was Dan-
iel Shroll. The Crawford County History of
1870 says: "The Lutheran church met on
July 12, 1835, and, after showing due respect
to their memory, elected successors to fill the
vacancy caused by their sad death."
It will be observed that these early settlers
all chose the high ground within a mile of
Bucyrus. Those now so rich and fertile
plains were passed by. Nobody wanted them.
As James Nail said he "doubted if this land
would ever be occupied" — land now where ev-
ery acre is held as high as a town lot in many
of the additions to Bucyrus. But some were
wise — not Crawford county people, but the
outside investors. In the southern half of
Bucyrus township, much of the land had been
entered by speculators, buying it of the gov-
ernment at $1.25 an acre, believing the time
would come when land already cleared would
find ready sale. The heaviest of these invest-
ors was Henry W Delavin, who never lived
in the county, but owned several sections in
southern Bucyrus. One of these sections was
26, on the Pike, three miles south of Bucyrus,
later the Ross farm and the G. H. Wright
farm, now owned by John Ross, Lafayette
Yeagley, David Rexroth, J. B. Steifel, and
Mrs. D. M. Odaffer.
It was Nov. 12, 1829, when William Vance
Marquis came to Bucyrus and settled on land
two miles south of Bucyrus ; he had pre-
viously visited the county and entered several
tracts of land, and in 1829 took possession of
one of them. At that time there were just
two families between him and the little vil-
lage. William V. Marquis was a Virginian,
who moved to Washington county, Pa., where
he married Mary Page, whose father was
killed by the Indians. The Marquis land was
in section 24, the land later owned by David
Marshal, then Benjamin Beal and later Ben-
jamin Beal's children. Mr. Marquis was an
early member of the Presbyterian church, and
a prominent one. He died in 1834 and left
ten children, one a daughter Ruth, who mar-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
201
ried James McCracken, who for two genera-
tions -was prominent in the affairs of this
county, and whose children were also active
and prominent in the history of Bucyrus.
About 1828 there came into southern Bucy-
rus Isaac, William, Thomas and Osborne
Monnett. Isaac Monnett owned several farms
on the plains prior to 1830. In 1835 Rev.
Jeremiah Monnett removed to the township
and purchased his land of John Barney, the
Rev. Thomas Monnett farm, four miles south
of Bucyrus, now occupied by William Mon-
nett, son of Rev. Thomas Monnett. Rev. Jere-
miah's house stood just south of the present
large brick building. It was a cabin of hewed
logs. Here he lived until a better house was
erected on the east side of the pike. He had
three children, Abraham, Thomas J. and
Mary, the latter later marrying James Royce.
There were several families of negroes settled
on what afterward became the Gormly farm,
two miles south of Bucyrus, later the Rexroth
farm. This gave the name to the woods a
quarter of a mile from the pike the "nigger
woods." These first colored pioneers were
from Virginia, and came in 1828. At that
time, under Ohio laws, the poor overseers of
each township had the right to demand bond
of $500 of any new arrival that he would not
become a public charge. The Virginia owner
on his death had given them freedom but not
enough cash, and thev were unable to put up
the bond, so all left but one family, known as
Old Solomon; he remained with his wife. He
did not put up the .S^oo, but one family made
no difference and he was allowed to remain.
Among those living in the township in 1830,
as shown by the tax duplicate, were Thomas
Adams, John Black. John Bowman, Isaac
Fickle, Joshua Lewis, John Miller, Joseph
Pearce, Jane Stephenson and Gottlieb John
Schultz. Thomas Adams had 48 acres in sec-
tion 9, two miles west of Bucyrus, the Chris
Wisman farm along the river ; John Black, 80
acres, section 13, a mile south, the Henry
Flock farm on the T. & O. C. John Bowman
had 80 acres in section 11, southwest of Bucy-
rus, the William Magee oroperty on the south
side of the Little Sandusky road. Isaac Fickle
had 160 acres in section 10. a Quarter of a
mile west of Bowman's, the William Shroll
farm, through which the Little Sandusky
road passes; Joshua Lewis had 80 acres in
section 15, south of Fickle, the George Gib-
son farm; John Miller, 80 acres, section 2,
just northwest of Bucyrus, adjoining the
Fourth ward, now F. W. Bittikoffer's. Jo-
seph S. Morris, 80 acres, section 12, south of
the fair ground, the John Wentz addition,
Elizabeth Monnett, and the John Wentz land.
Joseph Pearce, 80 acres, section 2, west of
Miller's, owned by John Wentz. Gottleib
John Schultz, 80 acres, south of Miller's, ad-
joining the corporation on the west, the Penn-
sylvania road passing through the northern
portion of his tract. Jane Stephenson, 160
acres, section 4, two miles west of Bucyrus,
now owned by L. W. Buck and P A. Beard;
also a quarter section of the Wm. Caldwell
farm on the Marion road, three miles south of
Bvicyrus. Other residents in the township as
indicated by their paying tax on personal
property in 1830 were John Bowman, Jr. ;
Thomas Bennet, J. Coulter, Isaac Didie, D.
and I. Dinwiddle, William and Joshua Fore-
acre, William Fraley, Jacob Forney, Jesse
Goodell, Jonas Gilson, Peter Hesser, George
Hesser, William Hughey and son William,
Lewis Heinlen, John Kent, Christopher No-
acre, George Aumiller, George Sinn, Daniel
Seal, David Tipton, George Welsh, Frederick
\Visman.
Until 1835 Bucyrus was a fractional town-
ship, on account of the western third being an
Indian reservation. The encroachment on the
Indian land became so great, that early in the
thirties pressure was brought to bear on the
Indians to sell, but nothing came of it. Fi-
nally, in 1835, the government arranged to
buy seven miles of their strip 12 miles deep.
This was about two and a third miles of the
western part of Bucyrus and Holmes town-
ships, the two miles of northern Dallas, all of
Tod, and southern Texas and extending nearly
three miles into Wyandot county. The sale
was set for Marion in 1837, but there were
objections by the Indians after about one-
third of the land was sold, and the sale was
stopped. Later matters were arranged, and
the entire seven-mile strip was sold, and all
of the present Crawford county was. open to
settlement. The land brousfht about $2 an
acre. In the sale a syndicate bought up all
the land around Osceola and laid it out into
202
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
town lots, in the hopes that it being the geo-
graphical center of the county as it then ex-
isted, it might become the county seat. The
southeastern part of the county, especially
Bucyrus township, recognized this danger,
and later acquiesced in the formation of
Wyandot county, with Upper Sandusky as the
county seat, losing a strip of land i8 miles deep
and 1 6 miles wide, not very well populated, ex-
cept around Tymochtee in the northern part,
and around Little Sandusky in the southern
part. They secured in return a strip two
miles wide along the southern border of the
county from Marion and four miles wide
and 20 deep on the east from Richland, get-
ting in that territory the towns of Galion,
Leesville, West Liberty, Middletown and De
Kalb, at that time the densest settled section
of the county, except Bucyrus.
It was Dec. 7, 1824, that the resolution was
passed by the Marion commissioners for the
organization of Bucyrus township as it ex-
ists today. Prior to that it had been a town-
ship, which included Holmes and Chatfield.
In 1823 Zalmon Rowse was justice of the
peace of these townships, his jurisdiction in-
cluding Whetstone, Liberty and Cranberry.
The first recorded township election was
Oct. 12, 1824, for justice of the peace, when
49 votes were cast : Conrad Roth, 26 ; Mishael
Beadle, 22; Conrad Rhoades, i. The follow-
ing were the justices in Bucyrus township,
dates being year of election: Zalmon Rowse,
1823-27-30-33-36-39; E. B. Merriman, 1824;
Conrad Roth, 1824; Edward Billips, 1827;
James McCracken, 1828-31-36-45; William
Early, 1834; Peter Worst, 1837; James C.
Steen, 1839-42; David Holm, 1840-43; Sam-
uel S. Caldwell, 1842-69-72; Jacob Howen-
stein, 1844-50-53; James Stough, 1848-51-54;
James Marshall, 1849; John Byers, 1856; John
Smith, 1856-59; Christopher Elliott, 1859-62;
Chapman D. Ward, 1862-75-78-81-84-87-
90-93; William M. Scroggs, 1863-66; Wil-
son Stewart, 1863-66; George Donnenwirth,
1869-72; James M. Van Voorhis, 1872-75;
John C. Jackson, 1875 ; Allen Campbell, 1878-
81 ; Caleb B. Foster, 1884-87-90; Horace Hol-
brook, 1893; William H. Scheckler, 1896-99;
George W. Didie, 1896-99; John A. Meek,
1901-05-09; Frank E. Lamb, 1902; Wallace
L. Monnett, 1905; Edward J. Myers, 1907-
09; Cornelius H. Myers, 1908; and Rufus
Aurend, 1912, vice Meek, deceased.
There are no records to show who the first
officers of the township were, but there are
several reasons why the first clerk was Zalmon
Rowse. First, he was a fine penman; second,
he was the most competent man for the po-
sition; third, he had practically every other
clerical position; fourth, the records were de-
s'troyed, and the search for old records show
that it was the records of the offices held by
Zalmon Rowse that were destroyed when the
jail burned in 1831; he kept all his records
with the court records in the county jail.
In 1829 a young lawyer came to Bucyrus
and opened an office. This lawyer was Josiah
Scott, later supreme judge of the state and one
of the most able lawyers the state ever pro-
duced, so able and so just that later, when su-
preme judge of the state, a grave question
arose, he gave a decision adverse to the opin-
ion of a majority of the people of his state, in
opposition to the wishes of his political party
and against his own personal views. He sac-
rificed popular opinion, party loyalty and pri-
vate friendships in the interest of the law and
legal right. The coming of Judge Scott was
probably more advantageous to the village in
those early days than it was to himself. He,
too, was a fine penman, highly educated, and
the result was that he was early pressed into
the service and, at least as early as 1832, was
township clerk.. He not only was Zalmon
Rowse's ally in these matters, but he was also
Zalmon's crony and friend, and these men,
full of life, strong and healthy, were boon
companions in many a village prank and the
leaders in every amusement. The judge was
a great friend of the Indians, their admiration
starting on his fine physique and being contin-
ued on account of his sociability and love of
athletic exercises, and many a time he headed
a band of mounted Indians in a race down
Main street, bare-headed and coatless, yelling
equal to the loudest Indian. That they had
confidence in him and that he retained that
confidence is shown from the court records,
for when Indians brought suit the books show
that the attorney for the Indians was Josiah
Scott. The minutes of the annual meeting of
the township trustees held March 4, 1833, are
signed by Josiah Scott, and show that a full
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
205
board was present. They settled with Samuel
Myers, supervisor of road district No. i, and
found 14^2 days of road labor unperformed
in his district; William Early, 3d district, all
labor performed; James Coulter and John
Marquis, district No. 4, all labor performed.
Coulter was paid 75 cents and Marquis $1 for
their services as road supervisors. George
Hesser in the 5th district, showed all the labor
had been performed. They settled with Abra-
ham Hahn, the township treasurer, and found
in the treasury a note of John and Jacob Staley
for $14.56, payable March 12, 1833 ; a note of
James Coulter and Henry St. John for 75
cents ; a note of Joseph S. Morris and Zalmon
Rowse for $5.31, due June i, 1833, and $3.15
cash, making a total of $23.15. They issued
an order to Hahn for 1.48 "for the percentage
on moneys collected for the year 1832." They
paid William Early 75 cents, his salary as road
supervisor during the year 1832. Also order
for $1.55 to James McLean "for advertising
the township election in the spring of 1831,
and notifying the officers of their election."
They paid John S. George $3 for services as
township trustee, and Henry Minich and
Nicholas Failor $1.50 each for services as
trustees; Josiah Scott $2.50 for services as
clerk of the township, and the last order "in
favor of R. W. Musgrave and Company, for
75 cents for a blank book for the use of the
township," and thereupon adjourned.
This record shows that the trustees in 1832
were John S. George, Henry Minich and Nich-
olas Failor. Why George's services vi^ere
worth the fabulous salary of $3 it is impos-
sible to state. Henry Minich owned a tannery
and Nicholas Failor a store, and yet they only
received half that amount.
In those early days township elections were
called by the constables, so James McLain
must have been elected constable in 1830, and
he held the office from that time until 1836.
He was first a carpenter by trade and made
shingles. In 1836 he took the government con-
tract to carry mail. He came here in 1828,
and his residence was a one-story frame house
standing on the site of the present Rowse
Block. To run a township election for $1.55,
which included the posting or tacking of a
written notice on three conspicuous trees, and
then notifying the successful candidates after-
ward, at that price he could get the job today
and hold it forever. And the treasurer, with
$1.48 to squander annually, would be pointed
out by the little children and stared at by small
boys as the man who positively had in his pos-
session $23.77 of public funds, of which $3.15
was actual cash! Mr. Hahn at that time
owned what is now the Deal House, a brick
hotel erected by him in 1.831. It will be ob-
served the trustees issued orders for $14.53,
with only $3.15 cash. It is probable that Mr.
Hahn, being a shrewd business man, made his
$1.48 first lien on the treasury and let the oth-
ers wait. True, James McLean's bill for $1.55
was allowed in March, 1833, for work done
two years previously; so people were used to
waiting. But how McLean ever accumulated
sufficient funds to buy a large flouring mill on
a salary of $1.55 is a problem. There was
certainly no chance for graft on a treasury
that only carried $3.15 cash. And the notes!
They were all good, as the trustees considered
them the same as cash. The 75 cent note was
abundantly secured, as James Coulter had 160
acres of land, and Henry St. John had the dry
goods "emporium" of the village, and became
so prominent and prosperous they later sent
him to congress.
A month after this meefing the township
election came on, being held April i, 1833, at
the court house, and the high-priced trustee,
Mr. George, was either not a candidate or was
defeated. Failor was re-elected and with him
John Magers and John McCullough. Josiah
Scott was re-elected clerk and Jacob Hinman
constable; John Nimmon and Enoch B. Mer-
riman were elected overseers of the poor.
George Shaffer, John Cronebaugh and Lewis
Gary were elected fence viewers. Samuel
Myers was re-elected road supervisor in his
district, notwithstanding his showing of "four-
teen and a half days of road labor unper-
formed;" the other supervisors were — second
district, John Barney; third, Emanuel Dear-
dorfif; fourth, George Welsh; fifth, George
Hesser, re-elected.
The office of overseer of the poor was one
of honor, as Enoch B. Merriman was a very
prominent citizen, and John Nimmon had rep-
resented the county in the legislature in 1830.
One of the first acts of the trustees was to ap-
point Mr. Hahn as treasurer, and they didn't
206
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
forget the faithful James McLean, for they
appointed him as constable. As far as can
be seen by the salaries and the names, it was
not a question of politics or of office in those
days; it was only a question of who would
take the position, and most of these men rec-
ognized it as an honor and served from a
sense of duty and served faithfully, their high-
est reward being the consciousness of having
performed their full duty as citizens by giving
a part of their time for the public good. There
is a lesson to be learned from our grand-
fathers.
Outside the city of Bucyrus there are three
churches in the township. There was no call
for any more. Bucyrus being a village with
churches, people walked or drove from half a
dozen miles around for family worship, while
occasionally some traveling minister, on his
missionary rounds, held services at the cabin
where he was stopping. The first known of
these gatherings for religious purposes was
held prior to 1830, at the home of Isaac Mon-
nett, in the extreme southeastern section of the
township No. 36. Services were held in the
various cabins at irregular intervals, but in
1835, when Rev. Jeremiah Monnett arrived,
after he built his house on the east side of the
pike, the old log cabin he had occupied on the
west side was fitted up for a school and for
school purposes. It was on the Bucyrus cir-
cuit, and services averaged perhaps once every
two weeks. Rev. John Hazzard was the early
minister, whose zeal and work built up the
membership to such an extent that a better and
larger church was needed. In 1840 the church
was erected east of the pike, a short distance
north of the Monnett home, on land donated
by Rev. Jeremiah Monnett, who was also a
large contributor to the building fund. The
other contributors were Osborne, Abraham,
William, Thomas, John and John Monnett,
Jr., Rev. Samuel P. Ely, Charles W. and J. W.
Shaw, Jeremiah Morris and David Sayler.
The building was a neat frame and cost about
$1,500. It was named Monnett Chapel after
Rev. Jeremiah Monnett. Among the early
ministers of half a century ago were Revs.
Stephen Fant and George Moore, who were
appointed to the Bucvrus circuit in 1853.
The church was dedicated by Rev. Adam
Poe during the winter of 1840-T. In 1871, un-
der the pastorate of Rev. D. M. Conaht, it
was repaired and improved, the dedicatory
services being conducted by Rev. Dr. A. A.
Nelson. In 1853 the Monnett chapel Was as-
signed to the Caledonia circuit and regularly
supplied. A graveyard was attached to the
church on the east, and here many of the pio-
neers of southern Crawford sleep their last
sleep.
The next church in the township was the Mt.
Zion U. B. church on the banks of the San-
dusky,, five miles southwest of Bucyrus. Serv-
ices were held at the various homes in the
neighborhood and later in the schoolhouse.
The ground where the church now stands was
purchased of Thomas Newell, and about 1868
the old . Wilson schoolhouse was removed to
the lot, and the old frame building giving way
to a brick, this served as a church for a few-
years. In 1871 the present building was
erected at a cost of $1,300. The earlier
preachers to the congregation were Revs. Mc-
Downey and E. Berry. David Parcher built
the church, and when it was dedicated. Rev.
David Hart was the pastor. Preaching was
generally held every other Sunday.
The third church is Scioto Chapel, on the
Marion road, six miles southwest of Bucyrus,
three miles west of the Monnett chapel, prin-
cipally from whose membership the congrega-
tion was formed to have services more con-
venient in bad weather. The church was
erected in 1874 and was built very quickly. In
May of that year two meetings were held at
the residence of E. B. Monnett; and at the
second it was decided to build a church, and E.
B. Monnett, F. A. Harvey and George Welsh
were appointed a building committee. Chris-
tian W^alther was the architect, and in October
of that year the church was completed at a
cost of about $2,000 — a very neat and commo-
dious one-story frame. It was dedicated by
Elder Wilson, of Kenton, O., and when the
church started the membership were E. B.
Monnett and wife, M. J. Monnett and wife,
Isaac Shearer and wife, J. P. Beall, wife and
two daughters ; Oliver Monnett and wife, Ben-
jamin Shearer and wife. E. Monnett and wife,
G. H. Welsh and wife, Bishop Scott and wife.
The church was attached to Claridon circuit,
and the first pastor was Rev. Stephen Fant.
In the early days the parents whose children
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
207
lived outside of walking distance from Bucy-
rus had very little school instruction. Many
came to Bucyrus, some from as far as four
or five miles distant, bringing their dinner,
starting from home, after doing a fair morn-
ing's work, and returning to do the "chores"
in the evening. Thomas Shawke came to Bu-
cyrus in 1832, and was a noted hunter, trav-
ersing the entire country for miles around in
every season of the year, and he is authority
for the statement that, certainly prior to 1832,
there was not a single school building in the
township south of Bucyrus. In some neigh-
borhoods a few families joined together and
small private schools were occasionally held.
The first township schoolhouse built outside
the village was in district No. 2, just west of
the corporation limits and stood on the north-
west corner of Warren and Spring streets. It
was built of logs in 1833, and was later re-
placed by a one-story frame, the old log school-
house being used as a woodshed for the school-
house proper.
Previous to 1834 there were but four school
districts in the county: on March 12, of that
year, the number was increased to five by the
formation of the four southeastern sections
into district 5;. On June S. 1838, the township
was reorganized into eight districts, four of
these practically the four northeastern sections
of the township, now the city of Bucyrus —
these were districts i, 6, 7 and 8; south of
these the four square miles was district 2, and
the southeastern four square miles was district
5 ; district 4 was north of the river, between
the Indian reservation and the village of Bucy-
rus, a trifle over four square miles; district 3
was two miles wide and four miles deep, ex-
tending from the Indian reservation east to
districts 2 and 5, what afterward became the
Bell or Harvey and the Arbuckle districts.
When Ohio became a state, section 16 of
every township was set aside for school pur-
poses; this land could be held, leased or sold.
On April 6. 1831^, the question of selling this
school section was voted on and carried. The
vote was light but practically unanimous —
sixtv-two for the sale and only one against it.
At this time small schoolhouses were being
erected. Previous to this the old log cabin of
some earlv sauatterwas fixed uo and used for
school purposes. In Oct., 1838. an enumera-
tion of the school children of the township was
taken. The four Bucyrus districts had 315;
No. I, 82; No. 6, 51; No. 7, 107; No. 8, 75;
the other districts — No. 2, 70; No. 3, 72; No.
4, 31; No. 5, 41; or 214 in the country dis-
tricts; 529 in the entire township.
After 1837 the Indian reservation became
open to settlement and the township was again
divided into school districts. There are today
nine districts. In the southeastern district a
schoolhouse was not erected until 1840, the
people along the pike wanting it there, and
those in the eastern part of the district wanting
it in the center of the four sections. It was
finally built on the pike, five miles south of Bu-
cyrus. Prior to its erection schools were held
in an old log house, which was unoccupied, just
south of the Monnett brick residence now oc-
cupied by William Monnett. Susan Bovel and
Harriet Huntley were the earlier teachers here.
Later the old log church on the Monnett home-
stead was used, and here Eliza Chapman and a
Mr. Canef taught, the latter being like Silas
Wegg in "Our Mutual Friend," "a literary man
with a wooden leg." The schoolhouse located
in 1840 was a constant source of dispute to the
residents of the district. It was originally
built on the pike, half a mile west of the cen-
ter of the district, the residents there predom-
inating in numbers and influence. Later the
eastern part of the district elected trustees fa-
vorable to their section, and the schoolhouse
was hauled across the fields half a mile to the
east to the center of the district. The pike
residents wakened up and at the next election
selected their own trustees, and the school-
house was hauled back to its original site.
There A\as no east and west road at that time,
so transportation of the building was across
the fields. This was so inconvenient that a
road was petitioned for and laid out, and the
next time the eastern section secured control,
the schoolhouse had a road to travel on. The
little temole of learning became a much trav-
eled building, and was known as the "mov-
able schoolhouse." Its search for a final rest-
ing place might have continued to this day, but
for the fact that many years ago the earlv
residents along the pike had moved away,
and the schoolhouse was finally placed in the
center of the district, half a mile east of the
pike, where it still remains with no one to ob-
208
HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
ject, as the entire four sections are now large
farms, so that it would be considered a ban-
ner day in some terms when half a dozen
scholars were present.
On March 22, 1834, a number of the resi-
dents of school district No. 5 met at the home
of David Dinwiddle, two miles south of Bucy-
rus and decided to erect a schoolhouse on the
southwest corner of Silas Sweney's land;
later the building on the farm then owned by
Andrew Kerr, on the east side of the pike, two
miles south of Bucyrus. It was a small log
building, and among the first teachers were
Casper Rowse, Harriet Robinson, Abraham
Myers and Sarah Butler. In a few years it
was replaced by a small frame building and
this, in 1877, by the present brick structure.
It was known for years as the Beal school-
house, and here many a young lawyer of Bucy-
rus and many a pupil .in the high school at-
tended the debating societies and spelling
schools held during the winter seasons. Other
districts followed with log schoolhouses re-
placed by frame, and these gave way to the
present brick buildings, the first brick being
erected in district No. 8 in 1876.
In 1857 Miss Mary Monnett, a daughter of
Abraham Monnett, who was attending the
Wesleyan Female College at Delaware, made
a donation to that college of $20,000. This
liberal donation, occuring as it did, had a very
great efifect in strengthening that seat of
learning and was the first practical effort to-
wards making the Ohio Wesleyan University
what it is today. The money was used for
the erection of a needed building, which was
named Monnett Hall — a name it retains to
this day, with the donor's picture occupying
a prominent place in the building. Even be-
fore the donation Miss Monnett's relatives,
being Methodists, attended the college; but
in the last half century it is probable that a
hundred of the Monnetts or their immediate
relatives have obtained their instruction at
that institution. One among them, the Hon.
Frank S. Monnett, was a graduate of the
class of '80; he was admitted to the bar and
became one of the successful lawyers of
Bucyrus and in this section, and in 1895 was
elected by the Republicans as attorney gen-
eral of the state. For some years the office
of attorney general had drifted into minor
importance. The new attorney-general was
active, f
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American Libraries
TV News
Understanding 9/11